Star Trek: Orion
by HighKnighthood
Summary: The USS Orion, a little known starship with a little known crew, has for its many long years of service in Starfleet avoided major action. But now the Orion been assigned to patrol the Federation side of the Romulan Neutral Zone, and soon the Orion and its inexperienced crew will be drawn into a much larger conflict. Set after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: The following story takes place after the events of the movie _Star Trek: Nemesis_ (2002) and at the same time as the novel _Star Trek: Titan: Taking Wing_ (2005). Hence there are some spoilers. The author is not extensively well read on other Star Trek novels, so there may be some canon conflicts.

 _ **Star Trek: Orion**_

 _Space, the final frontier. Many in the Federation are sent out to explore it, to find new worlds, and to go where no man has gone before. Others however are called upon to uphold and maintain the regions of space where exploration has already taken place. Some of these regions have experienced long and prosperous peace; while others, more recently, have experienced war._

 _These are the voyages of the starship_ Orion. _Its current mission is to aid in the patrolling and securing of the regions of space near the Romulan Neutral Zone, while the Romulan Star Empire undergoes restructuring following the devastation of the coup d'etat of their Senate by the Reman Shinzon. Although not a few elements of the Romulan leadership are reaching out to the Federation, animosity towards the Federation runs deep on Romulus. The_ Orion _may soon find it mission to be not so routine._

* * *

Chapter 1

 _Captain's log; stardate 56970.3: We are resupplying at a Federation star base before we head out on another patrol near the Romulan Neutral Zone. We are also taking on a new command officer: Lieutenant Senior Grade Henry Hickensen. I look forward to seeing what this new addition to my crew will bring._

Lieutenant Senior Grade Lindsey Lander stood on the bridge of the _Orion_ , waiting for her captain, Theresa Taylor, to address her. She watched as the Captain addressed various officers to see if the starship was supplied and prepared for its next assignment. But the conversations were far from exciting. Supply check lists, engineering updates, personnel assignments. Lindsey looked at her own report and found it equally boring.

Lindsey was a twenty-seven year old human female. Her clean blond hair was fixed behind her head in a bun, the preferred hair style of human females in Starfleet; her red command uniform was straight and perfectly pressed; and her Starfleet insignia, which doubled as a combadge, and the two gold rank pips on her collar gleamed with a perfect polish.

Contrary to her official appearance, Lindsey had been an adventurous spirit when she had first applied to Starfleet Academy. Looking back, she admitted that such a carefree attitude had actually hampered her grades and affected her placement in Starfleet. This, ironically, had kept her away from truly adventurous assignments like the _Enterprise_ or _Deep Space Nine_. Yet she had found that in her four years on board the _Orion_ , serving under Captain Taylor, she had learned far more about being a Starfleet officer than she ever did at the Academy.

Finally, her turn came. "Lt. Lander, your report."

Lindsey handed her data pad to the Captain. "Captain, the _Orion_ continues to react well with her refit. All critical systems are operating as expected or better. Engineering will have more details, but I have highlighted the essentials in my report."

"Excellent," said Captain Taylor. As the Captain stood before her, Lindsey took a moment to admire the woman. Captain Taylor had been with Starfleet for a long time, having started as a lowly ensign out of the Academy and working her way up the ranks slowly over a long career of just over forty years. Now she was a veteran starship captain. The _Orion_ was her third command, and she had been captain of it for seven years already. There was little to note about her career at first glance, but a careful study would reveal years of dutiful service and excellent leadership. Now she stood on her bridge with an aura of command and leadership.

The Captain's year of experience were reflected in every part of her appearance. She stood straight and professionally, and she held an air of authority. She had also aged with dignity. Her face was still fair even as the years had creased it with defined wrinkles. Her hair was pulled back in a single thick braid that dropped down to her lower back, and its jet-black color was contrasted by clean streaks of grey that ran throughout the entire braid.

"Lieutenant Lander," spoke the Captain. "We are bringing on board a new officer who has transferred to the _Orion_. I want you to welcome him on board and show him his quarters. Have him report to the bridge at 1400 hours."

"Of course, Captain. What is his name?"

"Lieutenant Senior Grade Henry Hickensen." Lt. Lander raised her eye brow at the name, and the Captain noticed. "Do you know him, Ms. Lander?"

"Yes, Captain. He was a year ahead of me at the Academy. We were good friends"

The Captain gave Lindsey a searching look, as though she had guessed at what kind of friendship Lindsey and Henry had shared. Captain Taylor then smiled. "Good. I am sure he will appreciate a familiar face. He should be arriving at the space dock hatch in the next few minutes. Dismissed."

"Thank you, Captain." Lindsey exited the bridge via the turbo lift. When the lift had brought her to the appropriate deck she began walking towards the docking hatch. She smiled as she did. Having Henry on board the _Orion_ might keep things from getting too boring.

Lindsey's brisk walk brought her to the docking hatch. Traffic was quite heavy through the corridor that led back to the space station. There were a lot of last minute details being attended to before the _Orion_ detached from space dock. Lindsey kept her eyes open, but she did not immediately spot the man she was looking for.

"Lindsey Lander, is that you?" said a voice just ahead.

Lindsey reached the source of the voice, "Yes, Henry, it is me."

"I didn't know that you were assigned to the _Orion_ ," said the man with two bags, a back pack, and a rolling suit case. He was about six foot with short blond hair and a medium build. He was wearing a red Starfleet uniform with the rank of lieutenant senior grade on his collar.

"And I didn't know that you were transferring to _Orion_ ," answered Lindsey, "until about five minutes ago."

"And you came to greet me," said Henry with a smile.

"Don't flatter yourself. I was ordered to welcome you on board. And so…" Lindsey switched to a formal tone. "Lieutenant Hickensen, welcome on board the USS _Orion_ NCC-26532. You are to report to the Captain on the bridge at 1400 hours. But before that I can show you to your quarters."

"Sounds good to me, Lieutenant Lander," said Henry matching Lindsey's formality.

Lindsey took one of Henry's bags, and the two of them walked down the hallway a bit before stopping at one of the interactive ship maps. "Computer, show me where Lieutenant Hickensen's quarters are."

"The Lieutenant's quarters are on screen," answered the computer's female voice.

"I didn't expect an old _Ambassador_ class ship to have such an up to date computer interfaces." Henry inspected the screen on the wall. "This is up to the standards of _Galaxy_ or even _Sovereign_ class ships."

"The _Orion_ has undergone a substantial refit," said Lindsey as she began to lead Henry down the hall. "As you know Starfleet has lost too many starships in the last couple decades. Between the Borg Battles of Wolf 359 and Sector 001 and especially during the Dominion War, let's just say that the shipyards are not pumping out replacements quickly enough."

"Quicker to refit an old bird, then to build from nothing."

"That's the idea," Lindsey nodded. "The _Orion_ was scheduled for decommissioning. But seeing that her many years of service have not been too hard on her, Starfleet felt she was capable of a few more years."

"How did she adapt to the refit?"

"Quite well. One of my tasks has been working with the engineers and keeping the Captain appraised on the status. The _Orion_ is fit for operation."

"And for combat?" asked Henry.

"And for combat," answered Lindsey. "We have the standard complement of photon torpedoes with 6 launchers: two in the aft, three in the fore, and one ventral launcher. We also have 8 phaser arrays."

"That's quite the armament."

"Like I said, the Federation has seen its fair share of combat in recent history."

"Did the _Orion_ participate in the Dominion War?"

"I don't think there was a Federation ship that didn't. Except _Voyager_ that is," added Lindsey quickly. "The _Orion_ was only in a few major battles. In reality, it was running convey duty most of the time. I came onboard just as the War ended, and I am glad for that. I hope we never have to use our armament in real combat," said Lindsey.

"There was a time when you would have loved to see combat," Henry said with a smile. "I remember that young wild girl back at the academy; dreaming about defending the Federation from all the evils of space." Henry waved his hand vaguely to represent space.

"I was a young and stupid cadet back then. Now I am a Starfleet officer. I had to mature."

Henry gave Lindsey an elbow jab. "It was fun though, wasn't it?"

"I sure hope you have matured." Lindsey said with a slight glare.

"I'm just messing with you," laughed Henry. "So, tell me about the crew. Old, young? Human, alien?"

"Mostly human, and mostly young. The senior staff has seen a number of years. The junior staff on the other hand is full of second tier academy grads. If a less than impressive cadet needs a good place to start, then the _Orion_ is the place to learn."

"Are there any Orions on the _Orion_?"

"No, there are not."

"Darn," Henry's gaze dropped to the floor.

Lindsey punched Henry on the shoulder. "Grow up, Henry!"

"I am still messing with you," Henry rubbed his shoulder. "What about other species?"

"Pretty much what you would expect on a Federation starship. The vast majority are humans, but we have a variety of other races."

"Any Vulcans?"

"Are you kidding me?" replied Lindsey with a disbelieving look.

"Why wouldn't there be any Vulcans on the _Orion_?" asked a confused Henry.

"You remember the Vulcans from the Academy, right?"

"Yeah, annoying know-it-alls. They were usually at the top of the class, and didn't like to associate with us underachievers."

"Exactly," said Lindsey. "Since they often graduate with honors, they often get their pick of assignments."

"And no Vulcan would choose to come to the _Orion_?"

"Not if they are seeking career advancement. It's just…" Lindsey turned to Henry with a smile. "…not logical." They arrived at Henry's quarters. "Here you are. Get settled in as best you can, but remember, you're due at the bridge at 1400 hours."

"Aren't you going to come in?"

"No thank you," said Lindsey with a shake of her head.

"Where are your quarters?" said Henry with a hint of mischief in his voice.

"I will see you on the bridge, Lieutenant." Lindsey responded with an obvious tone of formality. She then turned and walked away. She knew Henry well enough to know that he was just joking with her and stirring up old memories. She smiled to herself as went to her next duty. Having Henry onboard the _Orion_ would definitely not be boring.

* * *

Henry dropped his bags in his quarters, but only briefly inspected them. Then he set out to explore the _Orion_. He dropped down several decks below the saucer section and walked into a large circular room with a blue glowing column in the middle. "Aww… Engineering. If the bridge is the mind of a ship, then this is the heart."

There were three engineers working in various locations in the engine room. One of them working on a console in the center near the warp core turned around and saw Henry. He smiled and spoke with a heavy accent. "A bridge officer in Engineering? This is usually not good."

"No worries…" Henry leaned in to read the engineer's rank. "…Lieutenant. I'm just a new guy giving himself a tour."

"I didn't think I'd recognized you. What is your name, Lieutenant?"

"Henry Hickensen," he reached out his hand to shake the engineer's hand. "I just came on board about an hour ago. You are…?"

"Vladimir Anatolyevich Kustov."

"You are from Russia?"

"Yes, Volgograd."

"I'm from St. Louis. Pleased to meet you." Henry looked up at the warp core. "Is this part of the refit?"

"Yes, a new warp core. Not like the ones they are putting in the new _Luna_ class, but still very good. The _Orion_ can now go easily to warp 9."

"What do you think the max speed would be?"

"I will never give an answer to a question like that to a bridge officer, unless I am ordered."

"Why not?"

"You bridge officers are all fighter pilots at heart. You always want to know how hard you can push a ship without breaking her, and we engineers are left to fix it afterwards."

"Such information could be important in combat."

"Then I will provide it when we are in combat, but not sooner."

Henry smiled and patted the engineer on the shoulder. "You're alright, Vlad. Who is the chief engineer on board?"

"That would be Lieutenant Commander MacDonald."

"Irishman?"

"Scotsman."

"I look forward to meeting him."

"He's attending to last minute details before we shove off from space dock. If you ask me, it's no fun being the chief. Too much administrative details and not enough hands on work." Vladimir studied Henry with a long stare. "Why all the interest, Lieutenant? Is engineering your backup plan?"

"Backup plan? What do you mean?"

"Everybody wants to be a bridge officer. The glory is on the bridge. Everyone wants to be an Archer or a Kirk or a Picard. There are not many engineers that become famous. But it's not easy to become a command officer, and many transfer to other areas."

"There are a few famous engineers. There is Montgomery Scott from the old _Enterprise_ , for instance. But to answer your question, no, engineering is not my backup plan. I have a general knowledge of how all this works." Henry waved his hand towards the warp core. "But not enough to make it work." Henry continued, "No, my backup plan would be security."

"Security? Why would you want to do that?"

"Every command cadet is required to pass certain combat classes. I always scored high in my proficiency tests, and I took every combat elective I could: hand to hand, small arms, tactics; I even took a fencing class. I figure if I can't make it to the bridge, I'll transfer to security."

"To each his own, I guess," said Vladimir.

"To each his own. But there is one thing, Vlad, that an engineer and a command officer have in common."

"What would that be?"

Henry leaned over the railing and looked into the warp core. "We both love our ship. You asked what my interest in engineering was. I am simply getting to know the _Orion_. If I am going to be stationed on the _Orion_ for the next couple years, then I want to get to know her inside and out."

"I think we'll get along just fine, Lieutenant," said the engineer. "Would you like a tour?"

"I'd love that, Vlad."

* * *

After his brief tour of Engineering and agreeing to have a drink with Vlad when they were both off duty, Lt. Hickensen made his way to the bridge. He got into the central lift and spoke his destination. "The bridge, please." He felt the movement upward and soon the lift opened its doors, and Henry walked out on to the bridge.

The bridge of the _Orion_ did not look its age at all. It had clearly also been the subject of the recent refit. Displays and consoles looked state of the art. The two stations in the front center were occupied by the navigator and the helmsman. Lining the perimeter on his left was the operations console and the door to the Captain's ready room. On Henry's right was the communications terminal and the tactical station. Down below the railing in front of him but behind the helm was the Captain's chair, and to its right was the seat for the first officer.

As Henry walked along the railing down the ramp to the lower portion of the bridge he saw Lindsey off to his right. She was standing next to the railing at no particular station. Henry realized that she did not have a station of her own on the bridge, but was rather an auxiliary command officer whose duties were elsewhere on the ship. She gave him an approving nod as Henry continued his path to the Captain's chair.

The chair was empty. Henry immediately walked to the man standing in front of the first officer's chair, and stood at attention. "Commander Gonzalez, Lieutenant Henry Hickensen reporting for duty as ordered."

"Good, Lieutenant. The Captain is waiting for you in her ready room." The first officer indicated the side room behind Henry.

"Yes, sir." Henry did an about-face, walked to the doors, and waited for permission to enter.

A soft but firm voice responded. "Enter." Henry entered the room, but before he could speak the woman behind the desk greeted him. "Lieutenant Hickensen, welcome on board."

"Thank you, Captain Taylor," said Henry as he stood at attention. The human female captain held a causal yet firm presence in the room which demanded respect from Henry like only a few of his teachers at the academy had ever done. It reminded him of a guest lecture he once attended which featured Captain Jean-Luc Picard. While Henry could tell that while this woman was no Picard, it was clear to him that she had earned the respect that she commanded through her many years as a Starfleet captain. Even the grey streaks in her black hair spoke to her dignity.

"At ease, Lieutenant. Take a seat." said the Captain.

"Yes, sir."

"Lieutenant, I know your academy training instructed you to call all superior officers 'sir,' but that is not the way I wish to be addressed," said the veteran captain. "I am a woman, I'm not ashamed of being a woman, and I expect to be addressed as a woman who happens to be your captain. You can either address me as 'Captain' or as 'Ma'am'."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Captain Taylor replaced her somewhat firm look with a soft smile. "Have you settled in yet?"

"Yes. Lieutenant Lander helped me find my room."

"You know Lieutenant Lander, don't you?"

"Yes, Captain. We spent time together at the Academy."

"How well did you know her?"

Henry wasn't sure if this was an interrogation or not, but he decided to assume it was just causal conversation. "Quite well. We were very good friends."

"How long were you dating?" asked the Captain with a raised eyebrow.

Henry smiled. He didn't mind a captain who was insightful. "Two years. We broke it off after my graduation. She still had one more year at the Academy, and there wasn't enough in the relationship for it to continue long distance."

"Would you be looking to resume your relationship here on the _Orion_?"

"Maybe, but not likely. We were young cadets at the time, and we were a fun couple. But service in Starfleet has a way of maturing a young officer. I don't imagine either Lieutenant Lander or I are interested in regressing back to our cadet days."

"I am certainly glad to hear that," said the Captain with a big smile. "I've worked hard to get Ms. Lander to be the officer she is today, and I brought you on board because of the good reports I got from your previous assignment. I don't want cadets, I want officers."

"I can be that."

"Good," said the Captain. "I also heard that you visited Engineering before coming here." Henry's eyebrows rose in surprise, but the Captain gave him a cunning smile. "Don't be surprised. I am the captain. I generally know what's happening on board my ship."

"The best way for me to settle in on board a new ship is to get to know the crew as well as the ship itself. You had already ordered me to the bridge, so I thought I would stop by Engineering before coming."

"What other locations would you visit to get to know the _Orion_ and her crew?" asked the captain curiously.

"The mess hall."

The Captain gave a small laugh. "I believe you will do well on the _Orion_ , Lieutenant. You will begin immediately. Your duties will be varied. You will be expected to relieve my main bridge crew when they are not on duty. I am also in need of a command officer in the hanger bay. Do you think you can familiarize yourself with our shuttles?"

"I am trained in piloting shuttles."

"Good. Are there any other skills that you possess that I should know?"

"I took numerous elective courses in security. I tested high in my proficiency of small arms and combat tactics."

"Good to know. I don't anticipate needing those skills, but if there is one thing that years of being a Starfleet captain has taught me it is that one should be prepared for the unexpected."

"Yes, Captain." Henry decided now was the best time to ask the question on his mind. "Speaking of expectations, Captain, what is our current assignment, and what can be expected?"

"We are assigned to patrol the areas around the Neutral Zone between Federation space and the Romulan Star Empire."

Henry gave the Captain a look of surprise. "Then I would say we need to expect the unexpected. After the Shinzon incident and the destruction of the _Scimitar_ things can't be good in the Romulan Empire."

"Things are 'unstable' in the Romulan Empire," said Captain Taylor carefully. "But their new praetor, Tal'Aura, has requested humanitarian support from the Federation and is willing to dialogue. Things are going as well as can be expected."

Henry made no attempt to hide his surprise. "The Romulans are willing to dialogue? Will we be working with the _Enterprise_?"

"No, the _Enterprise_ is undergoing substantial repairs and refit. The _Scimitar_ did a number on it. But its former first officer, Captain William Riker, and the _Titan_ will be leading the peace efforts. Our job is merely to patrol our side of the Neutral Zone. But don't expect the _Orion_ to actually cross into Romulan space. If anyone gets the chance to do that it will be the _Titan._ If it's excitement you wanted, you should have put in a request to serve on that ship."

"Don't worry about that, Captain. There will always be that little boy in me that wants to see some action, but the Starfleet officer in me has no desire to engage the Romulans."

"We'll make a good officer out of you yet."

"Captain," interrupted the first officer's voice over the communicator. "The station has sealed up the airlock and is wishing us safe travels."

"I will be right there, Commander," answered the Captain. "Lieutenant Hickensen, come to the bridge. You may join Lieutenant Lander, in observing." The Captain stood up from her desk, and Henry followed her on to the bridge.

* * *

Lindsey was watching the bridge crew with great interest. She frequently served on the bridge during the night shift and occasionally was called up when one of the regulars was gone on an away mission. But she enjoyed watching when the main bridge crew was at work. Their level of disciple and coordination was spectacular. They might not be the best officers in Starfleet, but Captain Taylor had the team operating at a discipline level comparable with the best.

The Captain emerged from her ready room with Henry behind her. Henry came up the railing and stood next to Lindsey. The Captain immediately came to the center of the bridge and sat in her chair. "Lieutenant," said the Captain to the communications officer. "Let the station know our gratitude." Then she turned to her first officer. "Commander Gonzalez, is the _Orion_ ready for departure?"

"All reports are in and all systems are green. The _Orion_ is ready and is at your command, Captain," answered the first officer.

"Helm, power up thrusters and impulse; prepare to depart from space dock." The helmsman acknowledged his orders, and the Captain sat forward in her chair. "Detach from space dock." The _Orion_ shudder a bit as she became free of the space station. "Helm, clear us from the structure; thrusters at one-quarter power." The _Orion_ moved clear of the stations arms. "Navigation, lay in a course for our next destination. Helm, activate impulse engines and prepare to go to wrap."

Lindsey watched as the _Orion_ was underway once again. She had seen it dozens of times before, but this time seemed different. Something told her that there was something more in store for the _Orion_ than just the usual same old-same old. She looked over at Henry to see if he was feeling the same, but he was just standing next to her with his hands on the railing.

"Captain, we are ready for warp."

The Captain signaled with both her finger and her voice. "Engage."

And Lindsey felt a shiver run down her spine.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _Personal Log, Lt. Lindsey Lander; stardate 57012.2: Contrary to my bad feelings the_ Orion's _mission has gone as quietly as expected. For the past six weeks we have been traveling along the Federation side of the Neutral Zone, visiting different Federation outstations as well as the communities of our allies and trade partners._

 _Henry has adjusted quite well to life on the_ Orion _. He has made quick friends with many members of the crew from all departments. It is good to have an old friend on board._

 _I am dictating this log entry from sick bay. It appears that I have contracted a virus of sorts on my last planet side away mission. Dr. Randel is preforming tests to gage the risk of spreading the virus and to determine the best treatment. I hope to be released soon, but it is good to see an empty sick bay._

"Everything seems fine, Lieutenant," said Doctor Thomas Randel, Chief Medical Officer on the _Orion_. "Your fever is gone, and the virus has been removed from your system."

"Then why do I still feel weak?" asked Lindsey.

"Because you had a rather serious virus. It was nothing we couldn't handle, but you endured it for a couple days before reporting to sick bay. It took a lot out of you. I am recommending to the Captain that you only be assigned to light duty for a couple days. By then you will be feeling one hundred percent." Then Dr. Randel turned to her and gave her his best 'doctor scowl.' "But next time don't wait until you must come. I expect you to come and see me sooner. If you officers don't take care of yourselves, how are you supposed to take care of the crew?"

"Yes, Doctor, I will keep that in mind. And thank you." Lindsey swung her legs off the examination bed and on to the ground. As she did so she felt a dizziness in her head. "Whoa."

"Like I said, take it easy."

"Alright, Doctor."

At that moment, Henry walked into sick bay and with faked formality he announced, "Lieutenant Henry Hickensen, reporting in. His mission: to make sure Lieutenant Lindsey Lander takes it easy."

"Oh no," sighed Lindsey.

"Oh, come on! I just came to check on you. I overheard you and the doctor, and I thought I could help. I am on lunch break, and I thought you could join me."

"I better report for duty first."

"Negative, Lieutenant," said the doctor. "Getting something to eat is the best thing for you now. Report for duty after lunch. That's an order, Lieutenant."

"Alright, I'll get lunch." Lindsey thanked the doctor and then walked alongside Henry as they went to the mess hall. "How's the transition to the _Orion_ going?"

"It's going well," answered Henry. "I have been trying to meet as many different people in as many different divisions as possible."

"Still the social butterfly," Lindsey shook her head. "How's that been going for you?"

"The _Orion's_ crew is very interesting. Everyone here either has less than five years' experience or over fifteen. There's no in-between."

They had just arrived at the mess hall, and Henry led Lindsey to a table. "The _Orion_ has become a training ground for young officers," Lindsey said as Henry pulled out a chair for her. "They have placed some of the more experienced officers here in order to transition people like you and I from the Academy to service on board a real starship."

"That explains a lot. Some of the junior officers on board seem a bit skittish. Like Selina. I am sure she's a fine officer, she just needs a little confidence. And Ryan is talented enough to be the main helmsman, if only he would believe that and assert himself every now and then."

"Ensigns Selina Chaput and Luke Ryan are fine. They are only one year out of the Academy. They will learn the confidence they need." Lindsey took a long look at Lt. Hickensen. "Why are you analyzing the crew? You're acting like a first officer."

Henry laughed, "Well, we are the most senior 'junior' officers on board. If there is a middle ground, it's us. You are four years out of the Academy and I am five. We are full lieutenants, while most everyone else is either an ensign or lieutenant junior grade."

"And that gives us responsibility?"

"Just a bit, but that's what being an officer is all about, responsibility. If we don't show we're capable of responsibility, then no one will ever give us any. It's what we signed up for."

At that moment, a tall, broad shouldered man with an apron and a chef's hat approached. "Hello Lindsey. Good to see you out of sick bay."

"Good to be out of there. What is for lunch today, Chef?"

"Hot pork sandwiches with mash potatoes." He set down two trays.

"Excellent," said Lindsey before turning to Henry. "Chef Matthews here makes the best potatoes in Starfleet.

"I don't believe we've met, Lieutenant," said Chef Matthews. "I am Richard Matthews. I oversee the mess hall."

"It is good to meet the man who feeds me," said Henry. "I am Henry Hickensen. I just transferred to the _Orion_." Henry sampled potatoes from his tray. "Hey, these are good. Do you have a secret replicator setting?"

"No, the secret is that I don't replicate the potatoes. I have an arrangement with hydroponics. The grow the potatoes. Then I season and bake them myself."

"That's a lot of extra work!"

"I don't mind it. They would be even better if I could get potatoes grown planet side. But such is the life of a Starfleet cook. Enjoy your lunch."

Henry watched as the man walked away. "I love meeting new people, especially when they cook for me."

"Why am I not surprised?" But Henry had a funny look on his face, so Lindsey asked, "What is it?"

"What did you say his name was?"

"Richard Matthews, but most of us call him 'Chef.' He actually has a culinary degree."

"Richard Matthews? Lieutenant Richard Matthews?"

"No, he's a civilian, not a Starfleet officer."

"No, it's him. I remember him from the Academy."

"He wasn't at the Academy."

"No, not when we were there. He was before us. He was a security officer. I remember studying about a Lt. Richard Matthews in one of my elective classes. This guy looks just like the holodeck simulation, and he has the same name."

Lindsey looked at Matthews and then back at Henry, "Chef! A security officer! I don't believe it."

"He was a junior officer on board the _Frederickson_ during the Dominion War. His starship was overrun by the Jem'Hadar. He and his team lost communication with the bridge and the rest of the security personnel, and they were forced to defend Engineering by themselves. He led them with brilliant battle strategy, as well as killing many Jem'Hadar himself. And the Jem'Hadar are said to be the greatest warriors the Federation has ever encountered except perhaps the Klingons. He was awarded various metals and commendations for his role."

"If Chef is this Lt. Matthews you are referring to, why would he be a cook on board the _Orion_?"

"I don't know, but I'd like to find out."

"Hold on a second. I might be about to find out more," said Lindsey as she called out to a passerby. "Frank, join us."

A short but well-built officer in a yellow Starfleet uniform turned and came to them. "Lindsey, I heard you were in sick bay. Are you feeling alright?"

"Alright, but not great. Please join us." The man sat down as Lindsey handled introductions. "Frank, this is Lt. Henry Hickensen. Henry, this is Lt. Grant. He is one of the security officers on the _Orion_."

Henry extended his hand, "Lt. Grant?" The man nodded his head, but Henry questioned again. "Lt. Ulysses Grant?"

"Yes, that's me. How do you know my name?"

"I have spent the last couple of weeks trying to meet different people on board the starship. I have an interest in security, so I looked up the head officers."

"Lt. Hickensen here took a number of security elective courses at the Academy," added Lindsey.

"Is that so? Are you building a backup plan in case being a bridge officer doesn't work out?"

"Perhaps," Henry paused. "But I have a burning question for you."

"Yes, Henry was wondering about…" began Lindsey but Henry suddenly cut her off.

"Are you aware that you have the same name as a famous general from Earth history?"

"Yes, I am," said Lt. Grant as he nodded his head.

"You get that a lot, don't you?" asked Henry.

"Yes, I do. And not just a general. Did you know that General Ulysses S. Grant was also president of his nation-state after its civil war was ended?"

"I did not," said Henry. "Why does Lindsey call you Frank?"

"My full name is Ulysses Francis Grant. Ulysses is not easily shorten, and I do get tired of everyone thinking of the Earth general; so Frank suits me well."

"Well, at least Starfleet doesn't use the rank of general. It would truly be confusing if you ever received that promotion."

"I guess that's a comfort."

"Okay," said Lindsey. "How about the other burning question? Frank, did Chef every serve as a security officer?"

Frank froze for a second, then he sighed as he slowly came up with an answer. "Yes, Chef was a security officer."

"So, he is _the_ Lt. Richard Matthews," said Henry excitedly.

"Yes, he is," said Frank with a 'calm down' gesture of his hands. "But don't spread that information."

"Why not?" said Henry, still excited but a bit quieter. "We have an authentic war hero on board."

"Chef doesn't want it known. I don't think he likes to talk about it. And I don't blame him. If one has to fight the Jem'Hadar, then it is probably not a pleasant experience."

"I see," said Henry. "Well, I guess I can respect that. I have always wanted to meet some of the people I studied about in the Academy. I just never imagined that one of them would be cooking me lunch."

"You and me both," said Frank. "If you will excuse me, I need to get some food of my own. It was a pleasure meeting you, Lt. Hickensen. And it is good to see you healthy, Lindsey." Frank stood up and gave a slight nod of the head as he left their table.

"I suppose it's time for us to report back to duty," said Lindsey.

"Not until you finish your lunch," answered Henry. "Doctor's orders."

* * *

"Captain, we are arriving at Outpost Beta-Gamma."

"Drop to impulse and bring us in, Ensign." Captain Taylor was sitting comfortably in her captain's chair. Outpost Beta-Gamma was on a small planet that barely classified as class M. The planet was otherwise livable except its lack of water. Water producing implements and large underground reserves kept the crew hydrated.

The only reason Starfleet had a crew there was to keep an eye on the Neutral Zone. Its location was perfect for a sensor station. The Romulans were not happy about the station's presence, but it did not violate the treaty between them and the Federation.

The _Orion_ was coming to the station on an emergency call. The call had said that the hydrators on the station has stopped functioning, and the crew lacked the heavy-duty replicators to make replacement parts. The _Orion_ was to deliver the parts they needed. But Captain Taylor's secret mission was to deliver new sensor packages with new designs that were in theory capable of finding cloaked Romulan vessels. These upgrades were hidden among the regular supplies. The Captain had also decided to include a few new holodeck programs, so that the crew there would have something else to do besides staring into a region of space that is supposed to be empty of activity.

"Helm, bring us into a geosynchronous orbit above the station. Communications, open a channel."

The communications officer nodded at Captain Taylor, as the image of the outpost commander appeared on screen. The commander was a Vulcan male wearing a blue science uniform. He stood perfectly at attention, as did most Vulcans that Captain Taylor had encountered. "Welcome Captain Taylor to Beta-Gamma. Your presence here is appreciated. My crew tells me that the water from our reserve tanks is beginning to taste a little stale."

"Thank you for the welcome, Lieutenant Commander Sapik. At least you got the opportunity to flush out the tanks a bit. I hope the delay didn't cause too many inconveniences."

"Not at all, Captain. We had to initiate a few conservation techniques, but we are prepared for such possibilities."

"We will be in orbit soon, then we can begin the transfer of parts. I will transport some of my officers down to help organize it."

"Understood, Captain."

* * *

"Subcommander!" shouted one of the bridge officers. "A Federation vessel has just dropped out of warp."

The Romulan subcommander stood up from his first officer's chair. "Which one? The _Titan_?"

"No…it's called the _Orion_."

"Never heard of it. What class?"

" _Ambassador_ class, sir."

"I didn't think Starfleet keep such old ships in service," said the subcommander. "It shouldn't be a problem."

"Any ship with a long-range transmitter is a problem, Subcommander." A tall Romulan emerged from the captain's quarters.

"Colonel on the bridge!" shouted a centurion.

"As you were," said Colonel Gaiath as he sat in his captain's chair. "Subcommander, send a message to our teams to stand by. We will not attack while the _Orion_ is here. We cannot risk them getting a message off to Starfleet."

"How long must we wait?"

"Hours, days, weeks; we wait until the _Orion_ is gone."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 _Personal log, Lt. Lindsey Lander; stardate 57013.3: The_ Orion _has reached outpost Beta-Gamma, a research and sensor station near the edge of the Neutral Zone with an arid landscape and dehydrated atmosphere. It has experienced equipment failure in its hydrators. The_ Orion _has been asked to help, and I am to supervise the away teams tasked with the repairs._

Lindsey stood on the platform and readied herself. She looked up at the man at the console. "Energize." Her vision was filled with white sparkling lights, and when they gave way a whole new environment appeared in front of her. She instantly felt the new force of planet's gravity which was different from the _Orion's_ artificial grav-plating. The air was extremely dry. Lindsey's skin became slightly itchy, and her mouth was suddenly parched. As Lindsey was looking around her new environment she spotted an officer coming towards her.

"Lieutenant, welcome to Beta-Gamma."

"Thank you, Ensign. Let's get to work."

Much of the materials were being transported down, but a few items required shuttle craft. Lt. Hickensen was accompanying the shuttles, while Lindsey oversaw the transporter. She was effectively a go between. The station's crew would tell her where things belonged, and she in turn told the _Orion's_ workers where to haul the items.

The station was sparsely crewed. The sensor crew was there, along with a few engineers to keep the place running. A few scientists were conducting experiments on the dry planet, and a doctor provided medical care. The crew itself was rotated every couple of months to prevent them from getting cabin fever.

As Lindsey worked, she did a double take at one of the engineers. He was a large Klingon male. There were very few Klingons in Starfleet, and they were usually security. It was a surprise to see one working engineering. The Klingon saw her stare, and Lindsey broke her gaze. As she returned to work, she silently scolded herself for briefly giving into stereotypical thinking.

Everything was going smoothly. Her list was entirely accounted for. But Henry walked up to her with a puzzled look on his face, "Lt. Lander, I think I found a discrepancy."

"Let me see," Lindsey looked at Henry's datapad.

"The labeling is not quite right here. According to this I should have another crate of components. Is the _Orion_ usually so vague in its manifests?"

"No, this is unusual. Call shuttle bay and find out if something was forgotten."

Henry taped his communicator badge. "Lt. Hickensen to shuttle bay. I have a discrepancy between my list and what I brought down here. Did we leave anything up there?"

"Negative, Lieutenant," came a voice from Henry's combadge. "The discrepancy is with your list, not with what was loaded on your shuttle. We spotted the same thing and corrected it before you disembarked."

"Copy that, Hickensen out." Henry turned to Lindsey. "I guess that solves that problem."

"I guess so, but report it anyway. The Captain will want to know about any discrepancies."

"Right away," acknowledged Henry. "Other than that, I am done."

"So am I. I just need to deliver something to the commanding officer in person."

"Do you want me to hold the shuttle for you, give you a ride back up to the _Orion_?"

"The transporter with work just fine, thank you."

"Your loss. The transporter is boring. I enjoy the experience of a shuttle."

Just as Henry turned to leave, the station's Vulcan commander approached. "Thank you very much, Lieutenant. My crew and I will appreciate the fresh water again."

"We are glad to help, Lieutenant Commander." Lindsey pulled a few data cards out of her belt pouch. "This is a little gift from the Captain. She understands the boredom of such work at a station like this." Lindsey handed the cards to the commander.

"New holosuite programs. The crew will appreciate these new recreational resources," said the Vulcan in a completely level voice. "Please thank your captain for us."

The Klingon engineer spoke up. "Are there any combat programs?"

"I don't know," said Lindsey. "One of our engineers writes the programs as a hobby. I can ask him to work on one for the future. Any requests?"

"Any Klingon combat will do."

"Ensign Raklok," said Vulcan. "Making demands of a bearer of gifts is not appropriate. I believe the humans have an expression, 'Beggars cannot be choosers.'" The Vulcan Commander turned back to Lindsey and raised his right hand with a gap between his middle and ring finger, "Thank you again, Lieutenant. Live long and prosper."

Lindsey quickly searched her memory for the appropriate reply as she raised her left hand and mirrored the Vulcan. However, Lindsey hadn't served with a Vulcan in years, and her attentiveness to diversity training back at the Academy had been less than desired. She finally just said, "You are very welcome, Lieutenant Commander." Lindsey lowered her hand and tapped her combadge. " _Orion_ , one to transport." A few moments later Lindsey was back on the _Orion_ with its artificial gravity and well-regulated atmosphere.

* * *

"The Federation ship has just gone to warp," reported one of the crewmen.

"Good," said the Romulan Colonel. "Begin our attack while they are still unprepared."

"Transmitting the go signal," said the first officer. After a second he turned and faced the Colonel. "All teams have acknowledged; the attack has begun."

"Keep me informed, Subcommander." Then Colonel Gaiath sat back in his chair and smiled. With station Beta-Gamma taken out, cloaked Romulan warbirds and cruisers would be able to slip in and out of the Neutral Zone. This would be necessary if the political battles back on Romulus went the way the Colonel hoped they would. Currently the military was out of the Colonel's hands, and the Colonel's former associates at the Tal Shiar wanted temporary peace with the Federation in order to regroup. But if Senator Pardek and the warhawks could get the upper hand, and war with the Federation began; then the rest of them would fall into line. And Colonel Gaiath would be the one to provide the highway for victory.

"Colonel, their long-range communication array is destroyed," said the captain. "No one is coming to help them."

Colonel Gaiath smiled.

* * *

The _Orion's_ first officer, Commander Gonzalez, entered the shuttle bay just as the last shuttle landed. He waited by the rear hatch as the crew came out. "Lt. Hickensen."

"Yes, Commander." The lieutenant approached.

"You reported that you were short materials."

"Not exactly, I had less on my shuttles that my manifest said I should, but Petty Officer Shelton told me of a correction he made."

Commander Gonzalez tapped his combadge, "Petty Officer Shelton, this is Cdr. Gonzalez, report to me in the shuttle bay at once."

"I'm here, Commander," came the Petty Officer's voice from behind him.

"I heard that you made a change in the shipping manifest."

"Yes, Commander, there were items that clearly were not meant to go down to the surface. I held them back."

"Which items?"

"Ah," the Petty Officer viewed his data pad. "These ones."

Commander Gonzalez looked at the list for a long couple of seconds, trying to prevent his anger from manifesting on his face. "You didn't think to report this oddity before making that decision?"

"No, sir. I thought I was saving everyone a headache."

"No, Petty Officer, you have just given us a very big headache. Where are the supplies now?"

"I was just about to have them returned to the cargo bay."

"No, leave them in the shuttle bay." The Commander turned to Henry. "Lt. Hickensen, delay the cool down sequence on those shuttles. We may need them in a bit."

"Yes, Commander."

The first officer turned and walked quickly out of the shuttle bay. "Cdr. Gonzalez to Capt. Taylor. I have a situation."

* * *

Captain Taylor waited for her first officer in her ready room. He entered in a hurry. "We are already at warp?"

"Yes, Commander, warp 6. Why?"

"We forgot something."

Captain Taylor read the look on the Commander's face and took a guess. "The sensor equipment?"

"Correct. Without that last package, Beta-Gamma will not be able to detect cloaked Romulan ships."

"How did this happen?"

"Petty Officer Shelton noticed the out of place packages and didn't send them down on the shuttles. On top of that he didn't report it. If Lt. Hickensen hadn't filed a report on the discrepancy while on the ground, I wouldn't have found out for days. He deserves a pat on the back, while Shelton deserves a serious reprimand."

"Let's figure out rewards and punishments later," said the Captain. She sat back and began thinking out loud. "If we go back and deliver the equipment it will look suspicious. But if we don't Beta-Gamma won't have the necessary sensory abilities for the next number of months. The way things are going on Romulus a couple of months might be too long."

"They could fake another water shortage."

"They didn't fake the equipment failure."

"They sabotaged their own hydrators to give us an excuse to come?!"

"One can't be too careful with Romulan intelligence," answered Capt. Taylor. "The Tal Shiar are not to be toyed with. But I do not believe Beta-Gamma will need to sabotage their equipment again. We must return the equipment, or else…" Capt. Taylor raised her eye brow "they won't be able to drink."

"Think they can play along with that ruse?"

"They will probably anticipate it." Captain Taylor got out of her chair and began to walk to the bridge. "Come, let's turn around before we get too far away."

The doors opened as Captain Taylor exited her ready room and walked onto the bridge. "Helm, drop to impulse. Navigation, lay in a return course to Beta-Gamma. Get us back there at maximum warp."

* * *

Lindsey felt the subtle movement of the _Orion_ as the ship dropped out of warp. Beside her was Lieutenant Johnathan Mikkelson, a backup navigator. "What's happening?" he asked.

"We dropped out of warp," answered Lindsey as she found her way to a view port.

"I know that. But why?"

"We're turning," said Lindsey as her view of the stars shifted.

"What does that mean?"

"It means we're going back to Beta-Gamma."

"How do you know that?"

"Any other course correction would have been made while still at warp. It only makes sense to drop out of warp if you are making a 180 degree turn. You have training as a helmsman, didn't you think of that?" As she finished the _Orion_ returned to warp.

"Of course, I did. I just don't understand why we would go back. Do you?"

"No, I don't understand either," said Lindsey tiring of the questions.

"Should we be concerned?"

"There has been no change in alert. If red lights come on, then you can be concerned. Who knows, maybe the Captain has a Klingon death match holo program for Raklok."

* * *

"Captain Taylor, we are arriving."

"Bring us out of warp." The _Orion_ came out of warp, and the planet was right in front of them. "Open a channel."

"Captain, the station is broadcasting a distress signal."

"On screen." The view screen changed from the view of the planet to the office of the station commander. "Lieutenant Commander Sapik, what is your emergency."

The Vulcan commander came into view. " _Orion_ ¸ we are under attack by Romulan ground forces. Our security team is already overwhelmed."

"Help is on the way." Capt. Taylor nodded to the communications officer to cut the transmission. "Red alert." The red lights in the bridge came on, and the Captain activated a ship wide broadcast. "This is the Captain. All hands to battle stations. All hands to battle stations." Then the Captain turned to her head of security. "Commander Jones, get as many security teams down there as quickly as possible." Commander Jones left the bridge immediately giving orders over his combadge as he left. The Captain continued, "Raise shields and power up weapons. And scan the area for cloaked ships."

"Cloaked?" asked one of the crewmen.

"If this is the Romulans, then they are out there somewhere."

* * *

Red lights flooded the corridor, and Lindsey heard the call to battle stations. "Johnathan!" Lindsey called to her fellow officer, but he had walked away a few minutes earlier. "Lt. Mikkelson?" Lindsey walked in the direction Johnathan had gone, but she didn't see him. "Where did he go? Where should I go?" thought Lindsey out loud. "The auxiliary bridge!"

* * *

Henry was trying to get the men in the shuttle bay to help him lift the forgotten equipment into one of the shuttles. "I don't know why we have to do this. This is sensor equipment not hydrator equipment." said Petty Officer Sheldon.

"We are doing this because you thought it was not important and decided to forget it. Just be happy that I am here to help you. And let me give you some advice, Petty Officer. When you're in trouble it is best to address a senior officer by his rank."

"Yes, Lieutenant." The petty officer paused. "Do you really think I am in trouble?" At that moment a couple dozen security men walked into the shuttle bay. "Oh no, they're here for me!"

"Don't flatter yourself, Petty Officer. You're not even worth two security officers." Henry dropped his end of the equipment crate and walked towards the security teams. "Frank, what's going on? Why the red alert?"

"Beta-Gamma is under attack. Lt Cdr. Jones is using the transporter to get some teams down there. We are using the shuttles."

"You have a pilot?"

"You're a pilot, aren't you?"

"Sure am."

"Let's get going."

* * *

"Colonel! The _Orion_ is back!" shouted a panicked centurion.

"Calm yourself!" barked Colonel Gaiath. "Send a message to our centurions on the ground to expect Federation troops. I want them to ambush the reinforcements." Then the Romulan Colonel turned to his first officer. "Bring us above the _Orion_ , and target her communications array and her bridge. We will only get one good strike before she returns fire. I want to make sure that the _Orion_ cannot call for help."

* * *

"Anything on sensors?"

"Negative, Captain," said the operations officer. "I think we are alone out here."

"Then where did the ground troops come from?" answered Captain Taylor. "Look for engine emissions, atmospheric disturbances, or anything that might reveal a cloaked ship."

"Captain!" shouted the communications officer. "The away teams are reporting heavy casualties. There are apparently more Romulans on the ground than previously thought."

* * *

"Captain Taylor to shuttle teams, the away teams are reporting heavy combat. What is you ETA?"

"This is Lt. Hickensen. We will be there within the minute." Henry adjusted his communications panel. "Shuttles to away team, have you cleared an LZ?"

"Negitive," came Lt. Cdr. Jones' voice. "And we will not be able to. We are out gunned down here. We are holding ground inside the station. I am not sure if we can last another couple of minutes."

"Then we are on our way." Henry switched the comm unit to speak to the other shuttle. "Hickensen to shuttle 2, we need to make our own LZ. I'm going in first. I will strafe the ground with phasers, then you land. We will be right behind you. Make sure to tell your boys they will be under fire."

"Understood, Lieutenant. Happy hunting."

"This is anything but happy," Henry said to himself as he charged the shuttle's phaser arrays. "Hold on back there!" he shouted to the security teams behind him. Henry tipped the nose of the shuttle down and dove towards the barren surface of the planet. Little ant looking blobs grew until Henry could tell they were humanoids. He could just make out the silver uniforms of the Romulans when he opened fire with his phasers. His sweeping fire killed many Romulans and scattered the rest.

Henry pulled the shuttle up before crashing into the planet's surface. He turned around and set the shuttle down on the phaser scared ground. The other shuttle was already on the ground, and its security teams already exchanging fire with the Romulans. Henry opened the rear hatch and tried hard not to think about the Romulans whose lives he had just taken.

A phaser rifle landed in Henry's arms. He looked up to see Lt. Grant above him. "You did say you took some security electives, didn't you?" said Lt. Grant.

"Yeah, Frank, I did," Henry grabbed the phaser rifle, flipped its setting to kill, and followed Frank out of the shuttle. The smell of heated rocks filled his nostril, and a stray disruptor blast shot above him.

"Keep your head down and follow me," said Frank who was running and shooting at the same time. They reached the entrance to the station where a few men were already behind cover firing. "We need to get inside and rendezvous with Commander Jones."

"Right, I'm on your six," replied Henry, trying to remember as much as he could from holodeck simulations in the Academy five years ago. He figured it would be best to stay with Frank.

Frank led the way into the station. "Lt. Grant to Commander Jones, we are in the station and heading your way."

"Hurry up, Lieutenant!" said a strange voice in return.

"That didn't sound like Jones," said Frank.

"What does that mean?" asked Henry.

"Nothing good."

Frank rounded a corner and then dropped to one knee and began to fire. Henry leaned around the corner and looked down his sights at a five-man squad of Romulans. Henry squeezed the firing stud on his phaser and shot one of them. He continued to fire, but he wasn't sure if it was him or Frank that took out the other four.

"Clear, move forward."

Henry realized that meant him, so he took the lead. He came around another corner and found another squad of Romulans, this time only three. Before they could shoot him, he jumped behind cover on the other side of the corridor. Just as they adjusted aim, Frank shot two of them. Henry took down the third.

Frank held Henry up for a second as more Starfleet security men caught up. "How many men are holding the shuttles?" asked Henry.

"None. We all came here. It's too hot out there."

"Then where are the others?" Henry asked as he counted the men. All he got was a sad shake of the head.

"If we can't take the shuttles then we will have to rely on the transporter. Let's rendezvous with the away team." Frank waved the men onward. They traversed a few more corridors before Frank halted them. "Lt. Grant to away team, we are behind the Romulans that have you boxed in. Crossfire in five seconds." Frank signaled three other men who took up cover in the hallway. Then he began to fire, and the other three followed suit. Soon they stopped. "Enemy eliminated."

Henry heard phaser fire from the rear guard. "They're coming behind us."

"Away team, hold your fire. We're coming in. Come on, Henry."

Henry followed Frank down the hallway, over the top of dead Romulan and Starfleet troopers. Some members of the away team let them into a laboratory room. A junior grade lieutenant came up to Frank. "We are glad you're here."

"Where's Lt. Cdr. Jones?" asked Frank.

The lieutenant merely pointed at the dead officer in the corner of the room. Frank shook his head.

"Station survivors?"

"Two only, sir." The Lieutenant pointed at a shaking female officer wearing a blue science uniform, and a Klingon engineer. "They were already over run when we transported here."

"Secure the room," said Frank before he turned to Henry. "Lt. Hickensen, contact the _Orion_ tell them we need to be transported out of here."

"Gladly," replied Henry as he tapped his combadge. "Shuttle team to _Orion._ " The only response was a long pause. "Lt. Hickensen to _Orion_ …Shuttle team to _Orion_ … _Orion,_ please respond. _Orion,_ our situation is dire. We need you to beam up the shuttle team, the away team, and two station survivors." Still there was no answer.

" _Orion,_ can you hear us? _Orion,_ are you out there?"

* * *

"Where are you?" said Captain Taylor aloud to herself. She gripped the arms of her captain's chair as she stared at the view screen. The shuttle team had just landed, but the reports coming back were not promising. She had just decided to evacuate the whole station and leave the system when her operations officer shouted.

"Vessel decloaking!"

"Where?"

"In front and above us. Point blank range! Too close for torpedoes!"

"Thrusters, full reverse and tip us up. Get them in front of us. Fire phasers."

The _Orion_ shook violently from a heavy impact. The lights in the bridge failed. Captain Taylor heard an awful cracking noise. She opened her mouth to shout an order, but felt the air being sucked out of her lungs. She fell forward out of her chair and blacked out.

* * *

Lindsey fell over as the _Orion_ was pounded. She quickly got up. "Computer, what was that?"

"A close-range volley of photon torpedoes."

"Damage report."

"Major damage to dorsal systems and bridge."

"Lt. Lander to bridge, what is your status?" Silence. "Lt. Lander to the bridge, are you okay?" Lindsey began to get nervous. "Computer, what is the bridge status?"

"Bridge has sustained a breach. Atmosphere was temporality lost. Shielding has reestablished atmosphere."

Lindsey began running down the hall. "Lt. Lander to engineering, the bridge has been hit and needs repair ASAP. Lt. Lander to sick bay, the bridge has lost atmosphere. It needs a medical team STAT." Lindsey entered a turbo lift near the back of the ship. "Auxiliary bridge!" she shouted to the computer. The turbo lift took her down to the lower section of _Orion_ below the saucer section.

As soon as the door opened Lindsey ran a short distance before she entered the auxiliary bridge. This back-up bridge was considerably smaller than the main bridge. It lacked some of the stations as well as a captain's chair. Lindsey immediately went to the operations station. "Lt. Lander to bridge, are you online?...Lt. Lander to bridge, do you read me?...Computer, has there been any activity from the bridge since the loss of atmosphere?"

"There has not." The ship lurched as it took another hit.

"Computer, activate auxiliary bridge, and transfer control of the _Orion_ to here. Authorization code: Lt. Lander 11563 alpha, zeta, delta."

"Authorization code confirmed. Auxiliary bridge online. Your authority is subject to override by Capt. Taylor or Cdr. Gonzalez."

"Gladly acknowledged." Lindsey tapped her combadge. "All available command and bridge officers to the auxiliary bridge immediately." Lindsey looked over the situation and realized with horror that the _Orion_ was stuck in a slow reverse thruster maneuver. Below the _Orion's_ aft was a Romulan Warbird preparing to fire upon the section where the _Orion's_ warp nacelles connected to the lower hull.

Fearing that she would lose all propulsion, Lindsey jumped into the helmsman's chair, and threw power into the impulse drive. This got the _Orion_ moving again. Then Lindsey spun the _Orion_ on its spinal axis, changing ventral side for the dorsal side. The Romulan Warbird missed its mark, but its photon torpedoes still hit the _Orion_.

Lindsey winced at the damage. "Computer, send shield control to the helm." A portion of Lindsey's controls displayed shield strength. The shields were critically weak on the dorsal and the aft sections of the ship. Lindsey turned the _Orion_ to the port side as the Romulan Warbird went starboard. She put more strength in the forward shields and broke hard to starboard. She saw that the Warbird was also coming around, and soon the two ships would be fighting head to head.

"Computer, send targeting and fire controls to the helm." Lindsey brought up the targeting controls, but discovered she couldn't fly and target at the same time. "Where are the other officers?" She was running out of time. Soon the warbird would be right in front of her.

"Right in front of me," Lindsey said to herself. "Computer, display straight forward view on screen, program photon torpedo tubes to fly straight, and give me a targeting reticle." The screen displayed an empty star field with a crosshair in the center. Soon the Warbird came on to the view screen. It was firing plasma torpedoes at the _Orion._ Lindsey waited until it was closer for a clean shot and then fired nine photon torpedoes from three forward tubes. The torpedoes flew blindly forward. Without targeting they were not very accurate, but Lindsey smiled as she saw four of them hit the Warbird causing it to break off its attack. "At least we won't be going out without a fight."

Just as Lindsey brought the _Orion_ behind the Warbird Lieutenant Johnathan Mikkelson came on the bridge. "Lindsey, what are you doing?"

"Operating a full-sized Federation starship in a combat situation all by myself!" shouted Lindsey. "Take the conn. Computer, send shield, targeting, and fire controls to the navigation console." Lindsey jumped from the helm to the navigator's seat as Lt. Mikkelson took over as helmsman. "Our enemy looks like a Romulan Warbird. We're ridings its wake. Keep us behind it."

"Yes, Ma'am. Why isn't the Captain and the main bridge in control?"

"The bridge is not responding, and I don't know why. We are fighting to survive."

Lindsey began to fire more photon torpedoes. This time she could use the _Orion's_ targeting systems. She scored a few more hits before the Warbird broke hard to port. "Reserve throttle, keep them in front of us." Lindsey switched to phasers, but the Warbird flipped over and flew above the _Orion,_ all the while pounding the ship with its disruptors.

"Lieutenant, the two of us can't take on a Romulan Warbird," said Lt. Mikkelson. "We have to pull out before they do too much damage."

"You're right, but can't leave our people behind." Lindsey spoke into her combadge. "Lt. Lander to away teams what's your status?...Away teams respond." Lindsey paused, but only heard silence. "Auxiliary bridge to engineering, what is the status of our communications."

Lindsey could tell from his accent that it was Lt. Valdimir Kustov that answered. "Bridge, the array is gone. Both long and short range communication as well as transporters are offline. We are working on an antenna to communicate with the away teams.

"I need that antenna ASAP."

"Understood, bridge."

At that moment Ens. Ryan came on the bridge. "What is…?"

"Ryan! Take navigation now," ordered Lindsey.

"Lieutenant," spoke Mikkelson. "Ens. Ryan is the better helmsman."

"Then you take navigation. Ryan, take the conn." Lindsey, Mikkelson, and Ryan did a quick rotation. Ryan took the helm, while Mikkelson jumped into the navigator seat just as Lindsey abandoned it and ran to the tactical console.

Ens. Selina Chaput entered the bridge, but she didn't even have time to ask a question before Lindsey began issuing orders. "Ensign, take the operations console. Computer, give shields and power control to operations, and give me targeting and weapons at tactical. Finally, a full crew!" Lindsey stood at her new station. "Ms. Chaput, keep me informed on our shield strength."

"Engineering to bridge, antenna online."

Lindsey wasted no time. " _Orion_ to away teams, what is your status?"

Henry's voice came immediately. " _Orion,_ we are in bad shape. We've lost a majority of the security teams, and there are only two survivors from the station. We are trapped and under constant fire. We need to be transported out of here as soon as possible."

"Our transporters are offline. You will have to stand by for the moment."

"Lindsey is that you? What's going on up there?"

"We are under attack by a Romulan Warbird, and are seriously damaged. Hold on, I am going to contact Engineering. Engineering, can we get the transporters working?"

"We can modify the antenna to carry a few transporter patterns at a time, but it will take a minute or two to make it safe."

"Every minute means someone on the away team dies. Hurry up."

* * *

"Hickensen, that wasn't the Captain's voice," said Frank.

"No, that was Lt. Lander," answered Henry. "We need to hold out a bit longer for them to get the transporter online. I'm not sure things will be much better up there."

"They can't be worse than down here," answered Frank.

For what seemed to be an eternity Henry continued to fire his phaser rifle at the movements and shadows of Romulans. Finally, a call came back in.

"Lt. Kustov to Lt. Hickensen. Transporter is online, but it can only take three at a time. Lt. Lander has ordered me to take you and the station survivors first."

"I copy, Vlad." Henry leaned towards Frank. "Did you hear that?"

"I heard it. Get them out of here."

"Yes, sir." Henry ran back to the center of the room. On his way he grabbed the Klingon engineer who was firing a phaser rifle and shouting war cries and obscenities in Klingon. "Ensign, follow me." The two of them found the female science officer hiding behind a lab table. "Lt. Kustov, three to transport."

Henry saw the white sparkles of the transport beam and then found himself on the transporter platform. The Klingon grabbed him. "You should have left me to fight. There is no honor in retreating."

"Shut up, Ensign! That's an order! If you want to help work with Lt. Kustov here and get the rest of our people up."

"Lt. Hickensen," spoke Vlad from behind the transporter consoler. "Lt. Lander has requested you on the auxiliary bridge immediately."

"Alright," but Henry grabbed Vlad's arm before he left. "Bring the rest of them back."

"Yes, Lieutenant."

Henry ran at a full sprint down the empty corridors of the _Orion_. All none essential personnel were in emergency shelters. He took the rear most turbo lift down below the saucer to the deck with the auxiliary bridge.

As he entered the bridge he heard Lindsey speaking from the tactical console. "Commander, how's the warp core?"

Chief Engineer Lcdr. MacDonald's voice replied, "I wouldn't say good, but it should get us out of here."

"Copy that." Lindsey saw Henry and without missing a beat she ordered him, "Take fire control. Hit that Warbird with whatever you can." Henry took Lindsey's station as she continued to coordinate with the rest of the ship. "Lt. Kustov, are the away teams back?"

"Two groups more and we're done," answered the junior engineer's voice.

"Helm, lay in a course out of this system and prepare to go to warp."

"Yes, Lieutenant."

Vlad's voice came back through Lindsey's combadge. "That's it. We've got them all."

"Helm, warp 4 now!"

The _Orion_ jumped to warp, and a noticeable sigh of relief was felt on the auxiliary bridge. But Lindsey only took a short pause before she gave orders.

"Ensign, alter our course to make it harder to follow, and keep in touch with Engineers. We can't afford to push our damaged warp core harder than is wise. Lt. Mikkelson, help him any way you can." A pair of 'yes, ma'am's came from the two men piloting the ship. "Ens. Chaput, I need you to watch subspace sensors for any sign of pursuit."

"Yes, Captain…I mean, Lieutenant," stammered the young woman officer. At that moment Henry thought he saw a look of fear come to Lindsey's face. Her eyes widen and she gasped a bit for air. But she recovered herself.

"Lt. Hickensen, take the bridge. I am going to check the real bridge."

Henry watched her walk at brisk pace out of the room in amazement. He was having a difficult time reconciling the officer in front of him with the girl he dated back at the Academy. He looked over at the other three members of the bridge crew and saw them diligently working at the tasks she had left for them.

At that moment, Henry knew that Lieutenant Lindsey Lander was in command of the _Orion._

* * *

Lindsey resisted the urge to run, but her brisk walk brought her to deck 2, just below the bridge. There she found a team of engineers and a medical team at the turbo lift. "Status report."

One of the engineers spoke, "Turbo lift is not operational. We think the car is jammed. It will take another couple minutes to get it workings."

"That's too long. Is there any other way onto the bridge?"

"Ah…sure you could climb through the Jefferies tubes. From there you will find an access panel on the starboard side. It will be a tight squeeze."

"I am going in. I need one medical expert and one engineer to come with me."

One of the smaller female engineers, Ensign Melinda Vibee, volunteered, but before one of the medics could speak a voice down the hall answered. "I'll go myself." The voice belonged to Dr. Thomas Randel. "As Chief Medical Officer, it is my duty."

Lindsey led the way, crawling into a Jefferies tube, then up a ladder to deck 1, and finally through another tube, where she found the access panel. Using a phaser which Ens. Vibee had handed to her, Lindsey cut through the panel. She could barely squeeze through the opening.

When Lindsey stood up she gasped. The bridge was deathly silent. On the port side there was a huge crack in the wall, and the shimmer of an energy shield could still be seen as it held the atmosphere. Lindsey dropped her eyes down and saw one of the security officers and the operations officer sprawled on top of each other motionless as though they have been thrown over the railing.

Then Lindsey's fears hit her full force. She turned to the Captain's chair and saw Captain Taylor lying face down, motionless. Lindsey ran to her Captain. She rolled her on to her back. "Captain Taylor! Captain Taylor!" Lindsey bent her ear to Captain Taylor's mouth to listen for breathing and was about to check her pulse when Dr. Randel came beside her with his medical triquarter. He slowly swept the Captain's body, but then bowed his head.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant. She's dead."

The doctor got up to check the first officer and the rest of the bridge crew, but Lindsey remained on her knees before Captain Taylor's body. At that moment Lindsey let go of her officer's stoicism and broke down in tears.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _Personal log, Lt. Lindsey Lander; supplemental: Captain Taylor is dead, as is First Officer Gonzalez and all the senior command staff of the_ Orion _. We were attacked by a Romulan Warbird. Outpost Beta-Gamma is lost, along with all but two of its staff members: a Klingon engineer by the name of Raklok and female science officer whose name I can't recall._

 _But I don't have the luxury of worrying about Beta-Gamma. The_ Orion _is heavily damaged, and Lt. Henry Hickensen and I are the highest ranking members of the command staff. The crew of the_ Orion _is working admirably to repair the damages, but I have called a meeting in order to determine who should command the_ Orion _. The meeting will consist of the senior officers of all the departments…or at least those who are left._

Lindsey stared at the empty seat at the end of the conference room table where Captain Taylor usually sat. Tears threaten to well up in her eyes, but she repressed them. She already had her outburst of weeping. Now was time for her to keep her composure.

Sitting across from her was Dr. Thomas Randel, the chief medical officer. Beside him was Lt. Ulysses F. Grant, aka Frank, the acting head of security following the death of Lcdr. Jones. Beside Lindsey was Lt. Henry Hickensen, who was her equal in rank.

The door to the conference room opened and Lcdr. MacDonald, the chief engineer entered. "Sorry about my delay. I wanted to oversee the beginning of the warp core's maintenance."

"There is nothing to forgive Lieutenant Commander," said Lindsey. The _Orion_ had just dropped out of warp to address the problems with the damaged warp core, and Lindsey knew that without a warp core escape from pursuit would be near impossible. "You and your engineers are the only thing keeping this ship together."

"Physically maybe, but there are other things needed to keep a ship together," Lcdr. MacDonald took his seat. "But I suppose we are here to address the need for leadership."

"You are correct," said Lindsey. "Doctor, your report."

Dr. Randel spoke. "I have confirmed the deaths of both Captain Theresa Taylor and Commander Luis Gonzalez. The _Orion_ is officially without a commander. The computer is prepared to transfer the command codes to the new officer who will take the responsibility of acting captain."

"Thank you, Doctor," said Lindsey as she turned her attention to everyone in the room. "As you are all aware the highest ranking officers on board the _Orion_ are Lieutenant Commander MacDonald and Doctor Randel, whose position in Starfleet Medical makes him equivalent to a Lieutenant Commander."

"But a medical officer cannot take command of a starship," said Dr. Randel.

"Nor can an engineer, in the usual circumstances. And I do not have any command experience," said Lcdr. MacDonald.

"These are not usual circumstances, Mr. MacDonald," said Lindsey. "But if we are to choose our acting captain from the command staff, then the highest ranking members are Lt. Hickensen and myself. Lt. Hickensen has one year seniority over me; therefore, I recommend that he be named our acting captain. Are there any objections?"

"I object," said Henry. Lindsey looked disappointedly at him.

"Now is not the time to shrink from responsibility, Lieutenant."

"I am not," replied Henry. "Will you hear my objection?"

Lindsey nodded, and Henry continued.

"I object to my being named acting captain over Lt. Lander on three grounds. First, my seniority over her is not one year. It is true that I graduated from the Academy one year before her, but my promotion to lieutenant senior grade was a little less than a month from her equivalent promotion; 23 days to be exact; and that period of time is too little to establish seniority.

"Second, Lt. Lander has served on this ship with this crew for four years; I have only been here a little over a month. So, in terms of service on board the _Orion_ , she has seniority. There is also the practical consideration that her greater knowledge of the ship and its crew will make her a more effective captain.

"And lastly, I contend that Lt. Lander is already in command of the _Orion._ She has been ever since she realized the bridge was unresponsive. She took over the auxiliary bridge; she commanded the battle; she saw to it that the essential systems of the _Orion_ were functioning and that all departments were coordinated in this emergency situation; and she called this meeting."

"How very logical of you, Henry," said Lindsey. "Yet I not certain that I am the one for this job."

"None of us are, Lindsey. The one for this job is Captain Taylor or Commander Gonzalez, but they're gone." Then Henry, impersonating Lindsey's mannerisms, repeated her own words. "Now is not the time to shrink from responsibility, Lieutenant."

Lindsey let out an exasperated breath. "Two officers providing two compelling arguments for the other to take command! How are we to decide?"

"We don't," said Henry. "They do," Henry nodded his head at the doctor and the engineer in the room. "Dr. Randel and Lcdr. MacDonald may not be able to command this ship, but I think their rank should have a say in the decision of who will be our captain." Henry looked at Lindsey, "Will you allow the ranking officers of the _Orion_ to choose their captain?"

Lindsey gave Henry a slow nod. "If they are willing." She turned to the other two men. "Dr. Randel and Lcdr. MacDonald, will you solve this debate for us?"

The doctor and the engineer looked at each other. MacDonald indicated Lindsey with his head, and Dr. Randel acted as spokesperson. "We will, and we choose Lt. Lindsey Lander as our captain." Lcdr. MacDonald added, "Congratulations, Captain."

Lindsey felt a sickness in her stomach as she accepted their choice. But it was their choice, and Henry was right. She had tried to pass off this responsibility, but he wouldn't let her. There was only one fitting thing to do for an officer who showed such objective thinking and friendship. "I accept under one condition. That Lt. Hickensen be my first officer."

"Done," said Henry.

"Then let us adjourn. There is a lot of work to be done." The officers all stood and walked through the doors to the bridge.

As soon as they were on the bridge Lt. Kustov reported, "Commander MacDonald, the bridge is patched up and fully operational."

"Excellent work, Vlad," answered the chief engineer, but Lindsey looked nervously at the plating that had been grafted on the place where the bridge had experienced the hull breach. It looked sort of stable, she thought.

"Lieutenant Lander," reported Lt. Mikkelson, the navigator. "All functions have been transferred here from the auxiliary bridge."

"Excellent work, Mr. Mikkelson. Doctor, I believe you have another duty."

"Yes, Lieutenant," said the Doctor. "Computer, in absence of a captain and a first officer and as ranking officer on board the _Orion,_ I order you to transfer all command codes to Lt. Lindsey Lander, our acting captain. Authorization code: 94773 zeta, theta."

Lcdr. MacDonald also spoke, "I second that. Authorization code: 86229 delta, upsilon."

"Confirmed. Command codes given to Captain Lander."

"Captain on the bridge!" saluted Henry, and everyone on the bridge stood at attention.

Lindsey was overwhelmed, but she managed to walk over to the Captain's chair, and she slowly lower herself into it. As she sat down she felt a shiver; the same shiver that she had back when the _Orion_ had last left space dock. But this time she couldn't pass it off as merely a bad feeling. This time she was the captain of a starship.

* * *

 _Begin Acting Captain's log; stardate 57014.1: I, Lieutenant Lindsey Lander, am now in command of the USS_ Orion _NCC-26532_. _This has occurred following the death of my captain, first officer, and all senior command staff during a battle with a Romulan Warbird which is still at large and likely hunting us. I am only four years out of the Academy and only 27 years of age. I am by all likelihood the youngest and least experienced captain in all of Starfleet. All this makes me extremely nervous, anxious, and yes, frighten. But my crew is counting on me to keep my composure and get them out of this mess alive, so that is what I aim to do._

Lindsey sat in Captain Taylor's ready room. She could not yet get used to calling it her own. Technically she was only borrowing the room, the rank, and the ship. Lindsey did not actually have the rank of captain. The insignia on her collar still bore the two gold pips of a lieutenant, a rank to which she would return after she got the _Orion_ and its crew back to the security of Starfleet. When she was in the Academy she dreamed of being the captain of a starship. Now she longed for the days of being a mere lieutenant. And more than anything she wanted Captain Taylor and the others back. She missed them sorely.

A chime told her that someone was at her door. "Come in." Lt. Grant walked into the room. "Ah, welcome, Lieutenant."

"Captain," He addressed as he sat across from Lindsey. "Getting used to the new office?"

"No. And I don't think I ever will, Frank." replied Lindsey. "It just constantly reminds me of Captain Taylor."

"I understand," said Lt. Grant. "I can't stop thinking about Commander Jones. It doesn't help that I now have his job. But do have his job. And he is not the only person I miss."

Lindsey gave a slow sad nod. "You lost a lot of good men back at Beta-Gamma."

"The only consolation is that the low moisture atmosphere will preserve their bodies for future burial when this is over," Frank sighed, "Captain, we have lost over half our security personnel. In the event of a hostile boarding we cannot guarantee security for the entire ship." Frank looked Lindsey right in the eyes. "Simply put, Captain, Security call no longer defend the _Orion_."

Lindsey took a slow breath as she received the worse possible scenario from her acting Chief of Security. "We can rearrange the ship; empty out various noncritical sections and decks. Residences can be moved; supplies relocated. By doing this we can reduce the areas that need to be secured. You could also pull the bridge guards."

"You want me to leave the bridge unguarded?"

"All command personnel are trained in small arms combat. Lt. Hickensen has received even more training. We should be able to defend ourselves."

"I fought alongside Lt. Hickensen. He can certainly hold his own. But I am still going to leave at least one guard at the bridge. But even with such rearrangements we will still be short-handed."

Lindsey bowed her head at the paradox. How many more impossible tasks would she face?

"Captain, I do have a suggestion."

Lindsey raised her head. "What kind of suggestion?"

"Back on Earth, 19th century North American frontier law enforcement was handled by elected sheriffs. When these sheriffs were in need of additional support they had the authority to deputized regular citizens to act as law enforcement."

Lindsey raised an eye brow. "You want to make some deputies on the _Orion_?"

"I think we can find a couple dozen volunteers who are both skilled enough and able to be trained. They will not go on any away missions. They would only be a defense force in the event that the _Orion_ is boarded."

"Training such people would be a huge undertaking. Are you up to such a task?"

"I think I am. I will train them alongside my own people. We will need to run drills on how to defend the _Orion_ with the new arrangement anyway. Do I have your permission to proceed?"

"There are some crew members you cannot take from their roles. No one from Engineering, Command, or Sick Bay."

"Of course."

"Submit all potential deputies to me for final approval."

"Yes, Captain."

"Then you have my permission to process, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, Captain." Lt. Grant began to leave the ready room, but then turned around. "Permission to speak freely, Captain."

"Of course, Frank."

"Lindsey, we are all here for you, the whole crew. The _Orion_ has its Captain's back. You can rely on us."

"Thank you, Frank."

Lindsey's combadge became active. "Engineering to Captain Lander!" came the urgent voice through the combadge. "The warp core is unstable, and I can't control it. If we do not drop out of warp immediately, we will very likely have a core breach."

"Acknowledged, Commander," said Lindsey as she stood from her chair and walked briskly towards the bridge. Lt. Grant stepped out of her way and then followed her on to the bridge. Lindsey began issuing orders as soon as she was through the doors. "Helm, slow us to impulse. We need to drop out of warp immediately." Ens. Ryan obeyed immediately and the stars ceased to pass by the viewport but remained stationary.

Henry turned to her with a question on his face. "What's going on?"

"Engineering is reporting an unstable warp core." Lindsey reached the Captain's Chair and sat down, but she squirmed uncomfortably for a bit. "Ensign, continue under impulse engines…No, belay that order. Bring us to full stop."

"Yes, Captain."

"Full stop?" asked Henry.

"Yes, just until we can figure out our next option. Bridge to Engineering, what's our status?"

Commander MacDonald's voice returned through the combadge. "Not good. The warp core is seriously compromised. I have tried shielding the damaged parts, but it is no good. We can't continue at warp."

"Not even slow warp; say warp 2?"

"That would slow the breach, but it will happen eventually. And it will happen before we reach safe haven."

"Is there anything that we can do?"

"I might be able to patch it, but we'll need to shut it completely down."

"How long?"

"Five, six hours."

"Thank you, Engineering."

Henry spoke up, "Five or six hours! If the Romulans are searching for us, they will find us by then."

"I know, Henry." Lindsey paused for a bit in thought. Suddenly Lindsey stood up and walked over to Ens. Chaput's station. "Sensor scan, what systems are nearby?"

"There is a system just two lightyears away," answered the female ensign.

"Let me see what it is composed of. On screen." Ens. Chaput displayed on the main viewscreen a chart of the system, while Lindsey walked in front of it. "If we can't run, perhaps we can hide. Bridge to Engineering, do you think the core can handle a two lightyear journey?"

"Perhaps, I recommend traveling no faster than warp 3. I will monitor it."

"Keep me updated. Ens. Ryan lay in a course for that system. I want to travel to the asteroid field beyond the third planet."

"Yes, Captain." After a few moments Ens. Ryan had the coursed laid in. "Ready, Captain."

"Engineering, stand by for warp. Ensign, warp 2.5. Engage." The _Orion_ returned to warp.

"Lindsey, what are you up to? Hiding in an asteroid field?" said Henry.

"In mid to late 20th century naval warfare, submersible vessels were used to avoid detection. The response was sonar systems which used sound waves in the water to detect these submarines. The submarines in turn developed silent engines, sound absorbing hulls, and even resorted to imposing silence on the crew. I even heard once that the crew would walk stocking foot to avoid making sounds with their shoes."

"Lindsey, sound does not travel through space."

"I know that, but perhaps we can create a type of silent here on the _Orion._ We have already lost long range communications. We will shut off all communications; short range and even internal. We will leave only hard wire communications. We will already be shutting down our warp core, we could also shut down our impulse engines. We could cut power consumption drastically. We could configure our shields to mask our life signs. Finally, we can find a particularly metallic asteroid to hide next to."

"That might work," said Henry.

Lindsey returned to her captain's chair and waited. At warp 2.5 it seemed like an eternity to travel two light years. But eventually they neared the system. "Ensign, slow us down to warp 1. I want to be as close as possible when we drop out of warp."

"How close, Captain?"

"Ideally? Close enough to use thrusters. I don't want to leave an obvious impulse trail. Ensign, the helm is entirely yours. Get as close as you deem prudent."

"Yes, Captain." Ryan began to sit at the edge of his seat, his hands right on the controls. After a few tense minutes he brought the _Orion_ out of warp. In front of the _Orion_ they could see the system's star. After a bit the star was eclipsed by some dark object.

"If that's an asteroid, then I say you got pretty close, Ryan," said Henry.

"Captain, I found a highly metallic asteroid about 500 kilometers from our current position. In fact, there are three of them there."

Lindsey smiled. Selina, the nervous young officer, had just anticipated her Captain's question. Lindsey took this as a good sign from the female ensign. And her helmsman had just piloted with the precision of a veteran. The junior crew of the _Orion_ were stepping up to demands. "Good work, Ms. Chaput. Send its location to Mr. Ryan, and we will proceed. Mr. Ryan, thrusters only, bring us close."

* * *

Vlad was standing next to Lcdr. MacDonald as they stared at the warp core. Its normal blue color was gone. It had been a long time since Vlad had seen a warp core completely shut down outside of space dock.

"Well, think we can fix her?" asked MacDonald in his Scottish accent.

"She took quiet the jolt when that photon torpedo hit too close. Microfractures all around. I suppose we can fuse most of them together. It's the larger fractures I'm worried about. They penetrated deep into the core."

"I think I can handle them."

"When we get this ship back to Starfleet, we might need to replace the whole core."

"Well, it's our job to get her back," said MacDonald as he slapped Vlad on the back

At that moment, Captain Lander walked into Engineering. "Captain! I didn't expect to see you here," said Vlad.

"I have some questions better answered in person," replied the Captain. She looked very young, but Vlad was impressed by the way his acting captain was composing herself. "Lieutenant Commander, what do you think of our warp core?"

"With it shut down we were able to do a thorough diagnostic. It is worse than I thought. Short of completely tearing it apart and replacing half its components we can't completely fix it."

"Then we have no warp core," said the Captain in a dejected voice.

"That's not what said, Captain. I said we can't completely fix it. But I think I can patch it up enough to get us home. I won't lie to you. The core will be unstable. I will have a crewman standing by the eject button at all times."

"So, we patch it and roll the dice?"

"That's about it. And that's not the only bad news. I have to lengthen my estimated repair time."

"How long?" asked the Captain with a look of worry.

"I would say twenty to twenty-four hours."

"A full day!" said the Captain with an exasperated sigh. "Well, it is what it is. Continue Mr. MacDonald."

"Captain," continued the Chief Engineer. "The warp core is not the only thing feeling the stress."

"What other equipment do we need to attend to?"

"Not equipment, personnel," said MacDonald. "I know my own limits. If I don't get some sleep soon, I will make devastating…correction…fatal mistakes. I going to work another hour setting up Vlad to do much of the work, and then I am going to get some sleep. Fresh from that I will finish up the most important work. This delay will lead to a lot of down time for your bridge crew. I recommend they get some sleep, and you too. Don't tough it out, Captain. We need you fully functioning."

"There will be downtime only if the Romulans don't find us, but I will consider your recommendation." The Captain paused as though a new thought came to her mind. "I have another question. Lt. Hickensen told me about the equipment that we forgot to deliver to Beta-Gamma. He told me it was sensor equipment. What kind of sensor equipment?"

"I have no idea. I never took a look at it. Vlad?"

"Nor I, sir. But I think Petty Officer Shelton might know."

"I want to talk to him," said the Captain.

"Yes, ma'am."

"And get that station engineer while you're at it," added MacDonald.

"Lt. Kustov to Petty Officer Shelton and Ens. Raklok, the Captain would like to speak to you. Meet us at Engineering."

Soon the two engineers arrived, and the Captain turned her attention toward them. The Petty Officer looked extremely frighten while the Klingon walked tall and proud. "Petty Officer Shelton…" started the Captain.

"Why am I here?" said Raklok in a deep voice.

"Ensign, you were not addressed," said MacDonald. "You will wait until the Captain speaks to you."

"She is not the captain. I will not answer to a mere lieutenant."

MacDonald was about to speak again, when Captain Lander walked directly up to the Klingon. Although he was far bigger than the young human female, she stood in front of him and looked him in the eye. "The Captain is dead, and I am left to take command. I didn't ask for this, nor would I ever ask for this. But it happened. I _am_ the Captain of the _Orion_! I have a starship that is badly damage, a warp core that may not work, a crew that is inexperienced, and a Romulan Warbird that could find us at any time and destroy us. I do _not_ need an insubordinate ensign on board _my_ ship, and I will not tolerate it; whether he be Human, Vulcan, or Klingon. Do I make myself clear?"

There was an angry rumbling from the Klingon, but at the same time Vlad thought he saw a smile come to Raklok's mouth. Had Captain Lander just earned the Klingon's respect? "Understood, Captain."

"Good." Captain Lander turned to the Petty Officer who looked even more frighten than before. "Petty Officer, what kind materials did you opt not to send down to the Beta-Gamma?"

"It was a crate of sensor materials," said Shelton. Raklok suddenly turned toward the Petty Officer who cowered next to Vlad. But one look from the Captain restrained the Klingon.

"Do you know something about these materials, Ensign?" asked the Captain.

"They were to be installed at Beta-Gamma, until this coward forgot them," answered the Klingon.

"I wasn't aware that the sensors at Beta-Gamma needed repair."

"They didn't," clarified the Klingon. "They needed augmenting."

"Augmenting?" said Vlad. "What kind of augmenting?"

"Beta-Gamma was tasked to watch for cloaked Romulan ships. Those new sensor packages were going to make it possible."

"That's probably why the Romulans attacked," stated MacDonald.

"I agree. They probably were going to make it look like some raiders, or perhaps even the Klingons," said the Captain. "There were not supposed to be any survivors."

"One Klingon lives," said Raklok.

"You and all of us," added the Captain. "We all saw the Romulans. Now they will try to eliminate us to keep their secret. Which is why we need to do whatever we can to gain the upper hand and survive." Then the Captain spoke directly to Raklok. "Do you think you can adapt those sensor parts to the _Orion's_ sensors?"

Raklok had a lot of pride as a Klingon, but as an engineer he also had some professional pride. The Captain's question tapped into this pride and got him thinking. "The _Orion_ has been recently refitted. Her sensors will still be underpowered compared to Beta-Gamma. Her range will never compare to the outpost. But if the sensors were replaced in the refit with new ones…"

"They were," said Vlad.

"…then we should be able to do it," finished Raklok.

"Excellent," said the Captain. "Ens. Raklok, consider this your assignment. MacDonald give him whatever help you can spare."

Petty Officer Shelton sheepishly raised his hand, "Captain?" Captain Lander turned to him. "Captain, will I be punished for my mistake?"

"Yes, Petty Officer, you will; but later, after all this is over. For now, I am assigning you to work with Ens. Raklok on the sensors." The Petty Officer looked with fear at the Klingon, who in turned smiled. The Captain continued, "If you two are able to let us see a cloaked ship, then I will consider some of your mistake undone. Understood?" The Petty Officer shook his head, and the Captain turned to Raklok. "Don't hurt him. He's just a skittish little boy."

The Klingon laughed and slapped young Shelton hard on the back. "Let's get to work, Skittish."

Vlad watched as Raklok and Shelton walked away, "Are you sure that was a good idea, Captain?"

"Raklok needs some work to keep his mind off his wounded pride, and Shelton needs to grow a bit of a spine. It will either work or fail miserably. Time will tell. Carry on, gentlemen."

Vlad smiled as he watched Lindsey walk away. She still looked young, but she also looked the part: a Starfleet Captain.

* * *

Lt. Johnathan Mikkelson was just about nodding off at his navigator's station when Captain Lander came back to the bridge. Lt. Hickenson spoke the official alert, "Captain on the bridge." Johnathan along with the helmsman, Ens. Luke Ryan, were not required to stand from their seated consoles to acknowledge the Captain, but Ens. Selina Chaput and the engineer at the communications station stood at attention.

"At ease," said Lindsey. "But not too much at ease. I don't want anyone falling asleep at their station."

"That won't happen, Captain," said Ens. Ryan from the helmsman console, but Johnathan thought that he should only speak for himself. Johnathan resisted the urge to rub his eyes.

"Ensign, did you have a night shift the night before last?"

"Yes, Captain," answered the helmsman. "But I got five hours of rest before the red alert was called."

"That's not enough," replied Lindsey, and then she spoke to the whole bridge. "I just found out that the warp core repairs will take an entire day. Beyond the repair it may still be a good number of days before we are rescued by Starfleet. We simply cannot operate without sleep that long. Therefore, I am standing down red alert. We will be at yellow alert, and all bridge officers are to consider themselves on call at all times. However, I am instituting a mandatory shift rotation.

"Mr. Mikkelson, Mr. Ryan, and Ms. Chaput, there must be two of you stationed on the bridge at all times. Therefore, you will each take a 16 hour shift with the remaining 8 hours as a mandatory period of rest and recuperation. That means you must sleep and eat your major meal during those hours. Lt. Hickensen and I will be able to relieve you for short breaks and small meals during your shift. The Captain's ready room has a replicator which I am making available to all you for coffee or other stimulating beverages.

"Ens. Ryan, you are our primary helmsman. When you are off duty Lt. Mikkelson will take the conn. Mr. Mikkelson," Johnathan turned toward the Captain as she spoke to him. "Your main station will be navigation when you are not relieving Ens. Ryan. And Ens. Chaput, your main station is operations, but when we are in shifts you will relieve Lt. Mikkelson at navigation. Tactical will be operated by either Lt. Hickensen or myself.

"Ens. Ryan, you are the first one for an off shift. Your shift ends on the hour. Get some rest. Since we do not have a communications officer workers from engineering will be operating that post as well as the sensor displays. Their shifts will be organized by our Chief Engineer. Is everything clear?"

Johnathan added his voice to the chorus of 'yes, ma'am's, but he heard Henry object. "What about you and me?"

"One of us has to be on the bridge at all times. Therefore, we will also take 16 hour shifts. When one of us is resting the other will have the bridge. In the 8 hours we are both on duty one of us will have the bridge, the other will attend to other matters on the ship."

"Sounds good to me. You should take the first off shift, Captain."

"Negative, Lieutenant. I am not the one who flew a shuttle while under fire or the one who engaged in a ground battle. Your shift ends on the hour. Go and get some rest and return here to relieve me in 8 hours."

"Captain, I insist you take a brief rest first. A nap perhaps in the Captain's ready room. Let me take the bridge for the next two hours. That way our shift changes do not occur at the same time as the crew's."

A sudden weariness appeared on the Captain's face, and Johnathan could see just how much effort she was putting into to keeping good appearances. Johnathan knew this was not pride, but her duty as a captain. If the captain is fine, the ship is fine.

"Your request is granted. You will notify me at the first sign of trouble."

"Of course, Captain."

The Captain made her way to her ready room, but turned around and spoke to the crew. "Give me your coffee orders now. I don't want to be disturbed for the next two hours by somebody with a caffeine craving."

Johnathan laughed a bit, "Then you better make it a cup of black for me, Captain." The Captain smiled, and for a moment Johnathan didn't see a stressed captain, but his friend, Lindsey.

* * *

Petty Office Shelton was nervous and quiet as he worked next to Raklok. He was surprised at how the big Klingon could work in the small crawl spaces of the Jefferies tubes.

"Skittish, can you not speak?"

"I can speak," said Shelton with a bit of annoyance about being called 'Skittish' before remembering he was speaking to an angry Klingon.

"Why didn't you send the equipment down to Beta-Gamma?"

"Because it didn't seem to belong. It was a mislabeled box, or so I thought. I guess that was the point, with the secrecy and all."

"Secrecy! A lot of good it did us. The Romulans already knew about it. It was the worse kept secret," said the angry Klingon. "I just want another chance to pick those pointy ears right off their heads."

"If you want battle so bad, why did you become an engineer?"

"I am a bit small as Klingon child. When they found out I was intelligent, they decided I should be an engineer. They never even gave me a chance to prove myself in combat."

"That doesn't sound like Starfleet."

"It wasn't Starfleet. It was the Klingon Empire."

"How did you end up in Starfleet?"

"Many members of the Klingon Empire do not respect engineers. Who do they think keeps their ships running, or their weapons functioning? Do they thank us? No! I joined Starfleet because that is where my work is appreciated." The Klingon sighed. "Still, I wish to fight."

"Are weapon makers honored in the Empire?"

"Yes," said Raklok with a questioning voice.

"Well, think of it this way. If we install this new sensor package, then the _Orion_ will be able to see our enemy and…" Shelton added with a bit of an edge. "…destroy them. In a way, we are arming the _Orion_. And I can feel better too. It may be that my mistake of forgetting these parts may lead to saving lives."

"Hah! Then let's get this working. Hand me that spammer."

"Hey! You two!" came Lt. Kustov's voice from down the Jefferies tube. "Are you almost ready?"

"Just a few more things," said Raklok to Shelton.

"Just a minute or two!" shouted Shelton to Vlad.

"Good! The first officer would like to conduct a test soon."

"We'll be ready."

* * *

"Lieutenant!" shouted Selina from the navigator's seat. "I think I saw a glitch on the sensor."

"A glitch, Ensign?" questioned Henry.

"Maybe, but I have a gut feeling it was something else."

"Like a cloaked ship?" inquired Henry. Selina merely gave him a raised eye brow as she turned in her seat to face him. Henry could tell by the look on her face that she truly believed that something was out there. Henry himself was impressed. Earlier he had thought that Selina lacked confidence, but now that she was in a true position of responsibility she was overcoming her shyness and listening to her instincts. "Okay, Ensign. Let's take a look." Henry hit a button on his console, "Bridge to Engineering, are our sensors ready?"

Vlad's voice came over the communications. "We were just about to call you for a test run."

"Perfect timing. We have a sensor anomaly that our navigator thinks might be a cloaked ship. Bring the sensors online."

"Yes, sir," there was a brief silence before Vlad's voice returned. "Sensors are online."

"Thank you, Engineering." Henry looked at Selina who was still staring at him over her shoulder. "Alright Ensign, focus the sensors on the glitch. Keep the power low. We don't want to give away our location."

"Yes, Lieutenant," Ens. Chaput worked the controls and gently moved up the power. "I got something! I can't tell for certain what it is; but it is cloaked, and it is the size of a starship."

"Captain Lander, report to the bridge immediately!" Henry said into his combadge. In a few seconds he saw Lindsey come out of her captain's ready room, straightening her uniform and her hair.

"What's going on?"

Henry turned to her. "Good news, sensor package works. Bad news, Romulans are here."

"Where?"

"About two hundred kilometers off our starboard bow, and closing," said Ens. Chaput.

"Do they know we're here?"

"I don't think so. Their travel pattern suggests that they are searching," said the young lady. "But I am certain that they know we are in this system."

"Weapons status."

Henry answered from the operations console. "Weapons are powered down. All torpedo tubes have their ten torpedo magazines full. Should we power up weapons?"

"Not yet. And keep shields set in camouflage mode."

"Lindsey?" asked Henry with a troubled voice.

"A fight will probably go their way."

"Not if we surprise them."

"To fight or to hide?" Lindsey thought out loud.

"Romulan Warbird, one hundred kilometers and closing," said Selina.

"Engineering, warp core status."

"We've barely begun," answered MacDonald.

Lindsey sat back in her captain's chair, but Henry approached, "What are we going to do, Captain?"

"Our mission now is to get the information of the Romulan attack to Starfleet. Since we can't transmit it, we need to hand deliver it. That means getting the _Orion_ safely back to Starfleet." Lindsey hit the communications panel on her captain's chair and leaned forward. "This is the Captain to all hands, shut down any nonessential communications or powered devices. We are going silent." Then Lindsey turned to Henry. "Put the ship in the most restricted power preservation mode we have."

"Yes, Captain." Henry gave a few commands to his console and the majority of _Orion's_ lights went out."

Lindsey then got out of her seat. "Power down the view screen. I will look on your display Ensign," she said as she stood up and leaned over Selina. "Send the cloaked ship's location to Lt. Hickensen. Henry, prepare to target and fire photon torpedoes. Mr. Mikkelson, prepare to go full thrusters and to bring the impulse engines online."

The crew acknowledged their orders just as Selina said, "Cloaked ship, fifty kilometers and closing."

"Steady now," said Lindsey. "What is the status of our shield camouflage?"

"Shields are working as we designed them to," answered Henry. "Hopefully they will disguise our life signatures, without attracting too much attention themselves."

"Hopefully, Lieutenant," said Lindsey as she leaned closer to Selina's station. Henry did not share his Captain's confidence or hope, but he trusted Lindsey with her decisions. Nonetheless the tension was felt across the bridge.

"Twenty-five kilometers," said Selina, and then after a bit longer. "Fifteen kilometers…ten kilometers…nine…eight…seven…six." Then followed a longer pause which couldn't have been more than a second, but seemed like an eternity. Finally, Ens. Chaput spoke again. "Ten kilometers…Fifteen kilometers and growing…Twenty-five kilometers. They have passed us and are still going." Selina let out a sigh of relief, as did Henry.

But Lindsey was still on alert. "Don't relax yet. We are still very much in their sensor range."

And so, the agonizing seconds passed with Selina continuing to report how far away the Romulan ship was. Finally, she reported, "The Romulan Warbird is five hundred kilometers away and growing."

Lindsey let out a sigh of relief as she returned to her chair. "Okay, I will allow myself to hope that they did not actually see us. Bring up whatever systems are needed for repair, and get us a few more lights." Lindsey returned to her chair. "Lt. Hickensen, you are relieved for your off shift. I expect you to get some solid rest."

"Yes, Captain," but before he left, Henry leaned down to Lindsey's ear. "Running silent? Not bad, Captain, not bad."

* * *

"Ha ha!" shouted Raklok the Klingon engineer. "We did it, Skittish! A victory over the enemy. Not as sweet as plunging your d'k tahg into the flesh of the enemy, but a victory nonetheless. Come, Skittish. If we live through this, we shall toast our success with real Klingon blood wine."

"Yeah, sure," said Shelton as the Klingon slapped him on the back.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 _Acting 1_ _st_ _Officer's log: stardate 57014.2: I am somewhat refreshed after my first period of sleep. The Captain is currently resting in her quarters, and I have command of the_ Orion. _This is a strange new feeling to literally have an entire Starship at my fingertips. It helps me to understand the great burden that myself and others have placed on Captain Lander. I hope to help her carry that burden anyway I can._

 _Engineering has nearly completed the repairs to the warp core. With any luck, we will be ready to go when the Captain returns to duty. And with more luck we will be able to use that warp core to travel back to a Starfleet base in a matter of days. Then we can call for reinforcements, and end this nightmare._

 _There has been no sign of the Romulans since our near miss yesterday, but we are ever vigilant on the bridge. We are all aware that if we are discovered before the warp core is fixed, it will likely be the end of us._

"Lt. Hickensen, what is our status?"

Henry tapped his combadge, "Captain, your shift doesn't start for another 25 minutes."

"And you won't see me until then," answered Captain Lander. "I am in the mess hall, eating breakfast. Chef has made bacon and eggs. But I can't sit still without at least knowing what I've missed the last eight hours."

"Lcdr. MacDonald has finished the repairs on the warp drive, but he is running various tests to make sure it is safe. I informed him that he has until the start of your shift to run his tests."

"Excellent," came back Lindsey's voice, muffled as though she had food in her mouth.

"Careful, Captain. I don't want my first command to be the result of my captain choking on her breakfast."

"I can think of worse deaths, than dying from Chef's cooking. I will be at on the bridge in 25 minutes."

"Copy that, Captain."

* * *

Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey MacDonald stared at the warp core. Its normal blue glow filled his eyes. Everything seemed as good as it could be given the circumstances. Lt. Kustov came up to him. "Commander, things seem to be functional."

"Yes, Lieutenant. I think we have done a fine job." Then MacDonald turned to the whole crew. "You all have done a fine job. We were asked to do the near impossible. If this warp core holds out for the whole journey, then we will be the talk of all Starfleet engineers: the crew that patched a fractured warp core."

"Captain Lander to Engineering, we're set on the bridge. Are you ready down there?"

MacDonald tapped his combadge. "We're ready, Captain."

* * *

Lindsey sat back in her chair. "Sensors?"

"Nothing," said Henry from the tactical station. "There is no sign of the Romulans anywhere." Ens. Chaput was at the navigator's station relieving Lt. Mikkelson, and Ens. Ryan was at the helm.

"Good," said Lindsey. "Power up all systems to their standard settings. We are breaking silence. Give Engineering whatever power requests they make. Our lives are in their hands."

"Yes, Captain," answered Henry.

"Helm, power to the thrusters. Get us clear of these rocks." Ryan gave an affirmative and slowly moved the _Orion_ clear of the asteroid they had been hiding behind. "Impulse 20%. Heading, 30 degrees to port. Tell me when we are clear for warp."

Ryan again flew the _Orion_ as ordered. "Captain, we are clear of all obstacles."

"Acknowledged, Ensign." Lindsey hit a button on her captain's chair. "Lander to Engineering, we're all set. Prepare for warp."

"Engineering here, we're set."

"Helm, on my mark go to warp 5.5 on our current heading." Ryan rested his hands on the controls, and Lindsey took a deep breath. "Engage."

The _Orion_ shook a bit, but the stars on the viewscreen began to streak by. Everyone on the bridge let out a sigh of relief. They had done it. They were at warp. In a matter of days they would be in the safety and security of a Starfleet base.

"Helmsman, keep our current heading for thirty minutes," said Lindsey. "Then change heading to the nearest starbase, steady as she goes. Navigator, provide our helmsman with the correct heading."

"Yes, Captain," answered both Ens. Luke Ryan and Ens. Selina Chaput.

Lindsey leaned back in her chair. Today was a good day.

* * *

Vlad stood watching the core nervously. It had been running smoothly for seven hours. Chief Engineer Lt. Commander MacDonald fresh off a very short rest came up alongside of him. "Is there something wrong, Vlad?"

"Who's to know?" answered the engineer. "With all the repairs and patch jobs, how will we ever know?" The core continued to glow its usual blue, but Lt. Vladimir Kustov was still nervous.

Lcdr. MacDonald gave Vlad a more serious look. "You think there is something wrong."

"I can't pull my finger on it, Commander, but something is bothering me."

"In my six years as a chief engineer I've learned not to ignore the gut instincts of my underlings. Let's take another look." The Chief Engineer took Vlad over to a diagnostic panel. "Computer, run a level four diagnostic on the warp core."

The Computer beeped. "Diagnostic running." After a short pause the Computer continued. "There are numerous microfractures in warp core in addition to several more serious fractures."

MacDonald grunted, "Tell us something we don't know. There is so much damage the Computer doesn't know what to look for. Let's start our own diagnostics."

Vlad and MacDonald set to work on different consoles, checking and rechecking their repairs.

* * *

Henry came on board the bridge. "First Officer, reporting for duty."

"Excellent," said Lindsey. "Take the bridge, Lieutenant."

"And you, Captain."

"I am heading to Engineering. I have a feeling that our engineers haven't gotten any break time. I am going to make sure they are still awake."

* * *

Vlad turned as the main door to Engineering opened and Captain Lander walked in. He whispered to Lcdr. MacDonald, "Incoming captain."

"Captain Lander," addressed Lcdr. MacDonald. "What brings you here?"

"Lt. Hickensen has relieved me on the bridge. I needed to stretch my legs. How are things here?"

"Things seem fine," said the chief engineer, but Vlad stopped listening. Reporting to the Captain was a job for the chief, but his job was to attend to the task at hand. Vlad continued the diagnostic that he was checking when he noticed a pressure buildup on one of the patches.

"Commander! Pressure on patch Foxtrot."

"Excuse me, Captain. I need to deal with this." The Captain stepped back as MacDonald joined Vlad. "Add energy to the patch."

"Done," said Vlad. "It's holding…wait…increased pressure on patch Bravo. Repeating procedure." More alerts came in. "Pressure on patches Golf and Oscar. I suspect this is a trend."

"We must come out of warp," said MacDonald.

Captain Lander immediately tapped her combadge. "Captain to the bridge, drop out of warp now! Commander, do what you have to do."

"Step back, Captain," said the engineer. "Vlad, keep those patches intact. If they fail, we could have a core breach."

"Yes, sir," answered Vlad. His heart began to race. "Patch Lima, reinforced. Patch Echo, reinforced. I need more power."

"Petty Officer!" shouted the Captain at another engineer standing nearby. "Take whatever power you need from auxiliary and nonessential systems. Do we need to shut down the core, Geoffrey?"

"Shutting down the core would do more harm than good!" shouted MacDonald. "The pressure is there now, and we need to run the core to dissipate it. Ensign!" MacDoanld shouted at another engineer. "Get the core on a cold down cycle now!"

"Patch Delta is weakening!" shouted Vlad urgently. His heart was now pounding against his breast bone.

"More energy to it!"

"No effect!" screamed Vlad. "Core breach imminent! Preparing to eject the core."

"Negative! Get me a phaser!" Vlad tried to object, but MacDonald shouted back. "That's an order."

A Petty Officer tossed a hand held phaser to MacDonald. He adjusted the settings while running to the back side of the core. Captain Lander shadowed his movement, but kept her distance.

"Vlad, I will weld the patch as best I can. Get ready to send more energy it once I'm done." MacDonald stood one foot on a diagnostic council and the other on the railing surrounding the warp core. He aimed the phaser and fired a very narrow beam at the edge of the core patch.

Suddenly the patch broke. A stream of radiation sprayed the chief engineer's face, and he fell backwards onto the deck.

"Geoffrey!" shouted Captain Lander at the top of her lungs. She suddenly jumped forward headless of the danger, grabbed the engineer, and pulled him to safety.

Vlad saw all this out of the corner of his eye, and when he reflected back on it he felt proud of his Captain who had risked her own life for a crewman. But at that very moment all he could think about was the impending core breach. He jumped back away from the core and ran towards the wall. "Eject the core!" he shouted at the engineer near the console, but the young man was in shock. Vlad pushed the man over and slammed his hand on the eject button.

The entire core slid out the bottom of the Engineering facility and out the ventral side of the _Orion's_ lower decks. Atmosphere could be felt briefly following the core before the failsafe doors slammed shut. A second later the _Orion_ shook violently from the shock wave of the core's detonation outside the hull. Vlad fell to the deck. Lights flickered, and a few of them did not come back on.

Vlad stood in shock as reality hit him. The core was gone! Then he looked down at the two people lying across from him. Captain Lander was holding Lcdr. MacDonald, but his burns were so bad that he was hardly recognizable. Vlad moved his hand to his combadge, but the Captain was quicker.

"Captain to sick bay, medical emergency! We need a team to Engineering STAT! One casualty with severe burns."

Vlad ran to the Captain and Lcdr. MacDonald, his two superior officers. "Lt. Kustov to sick bay, make that two casualties with burns. The Captain is one of them." The Captain looked at her right arm and saw her own burns. What she couldn't see was the burns on her face.

"Am I bad?" asked the Captain.

"You'll be fine. I see burns like that all the time." It was only a slight lie, but Vlad figured the doctor could take care of it.

"And Geoffery," the Captain asked with a desperate tone that implied she already knew the answer. Vlad just shook his head.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 _Acting Captain's log; supplemental: We have lost our warp core and our chief engineer. Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey MacDonald died in sick bay as the radiation burns affected his neural system and eventually his body shut down. I was much more fortunate as my burns were only skin deep. A dermal regenerator mended me just find._

 _Lt. Vladimir Anatolyevich Kustov in now our acting chief engineer. Without our warp core to say that our journey of a couple of days has just lengthen significantly is an understatement. It is time for a new plan._

"Captain on the bridge," said Lt. Hickensen as soon as he spotted Lindsey come off the turbo lift. "I am surprised to see you back from sick bay so soon."

Lindsey didn't even acknowledge him. "Status."

"Warp travel is now impossible. We are continuing our same heading under impulse power. The good news is that we've seen no sign of the Romulans."

"It's only a matter of time. They know we're damaged, and they are searching. They will not have missed the explosion of our warp core. They will find what's left and draw the appropriate conclusions."

"Hopefully we are a good distance away before that happens," said Henry, but even to his own ears his voice sounded empty of hope.

"No, we won't be, and we will be leaving a convenient impulse trail for them to follow." Lindsey pause for a bit as she leaned over the railing. "Continuing to the starbase is no longer an option. Lt. Mikkelson, where is the nearest Starfleet outpost?"

"There is an outpost in the nearby star system; outpost Alpha-Theta. It is similar to Beta-Gamma. It has a crew of about a dozen people."

"Weapons?" asked Henry.

"None for combat against a starship."

"Captain, this outpost can't protect us. It is no good going there," reasoned Henry.

"Does it have a long-range communications array?" asked the Captain.

"Of course," said Lt. Mikkelson.

"Then it is of great help to us," said the Captain. "Our mission is to observe and report suspicious activity in the region. We observed a Romulan attack and it is now our duty is to report it. Starfleet must know the truth of what has happened. But that is exactly what the Romulans don't want to happen. They will want to maintain their deniability."

Lindsey continued, "The Romulans are not hunting us for sport, or for the honor of destroying the _Orion_ itself. We are not the _Enterprise_ or the _Titan_ , both of which would be quite the notch on any Romulan captain's belt. The _Orion_ itself is rather insignificant. The Romulans only wish to cover up their attack. All the more reason we need to alert Starfleet."

"Even if it means sacrificing the _Orion_ and its crew?" asked Henry.

"Yes," answered the Captain. "However, I haven't given up on the _Orion_ , and I will do absolutely everything I can to save its crew. But there is no one out there that can help us. For now, our survival is up to us alone. Ens. Ryan, set a course to outpost Alpha-Theta."

"How fast, Captain?"

"Give it half impulse. Without the ability to produce a warp field our damaged hull will be under strain. I will get Lt. Kustov to send an engineer to the bridge to monitor our hull integrity. Once he or she arrives the two of you will determine a safe maximum speed under which our hull can endure. I will be in my ready room preparing a message package for Starfleet. Keep me informed." And then the Captain immediately turned and walked off the bridge into her ready room.

Henry stared at the close door for a second. Lindsey had put on a good show and acted as the leader she needed to be, but Henry knew her well enough to know that she was not well. Henry waited until a female ensign from Engineering arrived to help. Then he tapped the buzzer on Lindsey's door.

"Just one minute," came the Captain's voice. A second later the door opened. "Come in, Lieutenant."

Henry entered the room and looked at his Captain and friend. Her eyes were blood shot, but he noticed a moisture on her lower eyelashes. As he took his seat in front of her desk, Henry spotted tissues on the floor which had missed her refuse disposal.

"You should be on the bridge, Lieutenant. It's your duty to attend to it while the Captain is away."

"It is also my duty to check on the status of the Captain."

"I'm fine, Lieutenant. My burns are healed, and the doctor gave me a clean bill of health."

"I am not talking about the burns." Henry reached out and grasped her hand. "Lindsey, are you okay."

Henry watched as tears began to flow forth from Lindsey's eyes like water finding its way around a dam. "I lost him, Henry."

"Who? Commander MacDonald?" asked Henry, and Lindsey nodded. "Were you close?"

"He was a friend, but not a particularly close one." Lindsey bowed her head and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform. "He's the first…" She choked up a bit.

"First what?"

"He is the first fatality under my command." Lindsey looked up at Henry. "His death was my responsibility."

Henry squeezed Lindsey's hand. "He gave his life trying to save ours. He chose that. He would not want us to weaken because of him."

"I know that, but it doesn't make it any easier." Lindsey squeezed Henry's hand in return. "They tried to teach us how to deal with all this at the Academy, but now that I'm here…I don't know if I can handle it."

"You don't have to handle it alone. I'm your first officer. This is what I'm here for." Henry moved his other hand and held Lindsey's hand with both hands. "I am here to help the Captain however she needs me."

Lindsey sniffed back a few more tears. "Thank you, Henry. I need to work on that message package." She pulled her hand out of Henry's.

"And I need to get to the bridge." Henry stood up, but before he left he said, "When this is all over, and after we give MacDonald, Captain Taylor, and all of them the proper burial they deserve; I'll take you to a quiet place on Earth where we can shed the burden of command for just a bit."

"It's a date, Lieutenant."

* * *

Lt. Grant sat in his security office waiting for the next volunteer for his deputy program to walk in. So far, he had found only a small handful of men and women who he could train to be deputies. Not many people were jumping at the offer. A few people Grant had to reject because they were a bit too eager, and there were a few who Grant felt were more dangerous to the _Orion_ with phasers in their hands than without.

Then the door to his office opened, and Lt. Grant saw a Klingon enter. He was wearing a yellow Starfleet uniform but had numerous Klingon items pinned to his uniform. And he carried in his hand a bat'leth, the large curve double bladed Klingon weapon. "Ens. Raklok reporting for deputy duty."

"Where did you get that?" asked Grant pointing at the bat'leth.

"I replicated it."

"The replicator is not allowed to make weapons."

"I am an engineer. I can make replicators do what I want."

"I thought Klingons wouldn't use a bat'leth that wasn't made by a Klingon smith, much less one made in a replicator."

Raklok's warrior's face faltered for a second. "This is true, but when such weapons are unavailable a warrior must make do. 'Beggars cannot be choosers,' I am told."

"I guess," said Lt. Grant as he tried to work past his surprise. "I remember you. You were an engineer on Beta-Gamma."

"Yes, and now I wish to avenge my fallen comrades."

"What is your current assignment on the _Orion_?"

"I work in Engineering."

"I was afraid of that. Captain Lander has forbidden me to deputize anyone from Engineering."

"What?!"

"Our priority is to get the _Orion_ back in one piece. Thus, Engineering is more important than Security. I simply cannot take personnel away from Lt. Kustov."

"But I want to fight."

"A warrior does not get to do what he wants." said Lt. Grant with a stern voice. "He must follow orders; even when he doesn't like them. Now return to your duties."

Raklok's only answer was some angry sounds. But as he turned to leave Grant had one more thing to say. "Ensign, I said that Engineering is more important. If we are ever boarded it is your responsibility as an engineer to protect the _Orion's_ vital systems, deputy or not."

Raklok looked back at Lt. Grant and gave him a wicked smile. "Qapla!"

As Raklok left Lt. Grant bowed his head. One of the few good recruits was in a forbidden group. Would he find anyone he could trust with a phaser?

Just then a man entered the office. He walked humbly towards the Grant's desk and stood in front of it. Grant looked up at the man and felt for a moment like he was a much smaller man looking into the eyes of a giant. "Crewman Matthews volunteering for deputy duty."

"Chef! You came! I didn't think you would." Grant stood suddenly as he addressed the taller man.

"I didn't want to," said the former war hero turned cook. "I don't want this duty, but I told myself that I would always serve if I was needed. It sounds like I'm needed."

"You are needed. There is no question about that. Have you maintained your training?"

"No, but I can refresh it."

Lt. Grant looked at the man who once held the Engineering section of a starship against a Jem'Hadar boarding party. He quickly realized that he needed this man to be more than just a deputy. "Unless you utterly fail our entrance tests, we will take you, Lieutenant."

"It's crewman, or deputy if you so choose."

"On the contrary, you resigned your commission; it wasn't taken from you. You still hold the rank even if it is inactive. You are still able to wear the dress uniform at official functions, and it is still appropriate to address you by your rank."

"That is technically true."

"What is also true is that my officer core is depleted. You said that you would serve if needed. Well, I need officers more than deputies. I want you to be a lieutenant junior grade again."

"I can't reinstate my own rank, and neither can you."

"No, but the Captain can." Matthews wavered, so Grant spoke further. "Chef, I know this is not what you want. I don't know what it was like to fight the Jem'Hadar, but what I can image is not pretty. I can understand if you are afra…, uh, hesitant to come back. But I wouldn't ask if I didn't need it."

Matthews looked at Grant with old ghosts in his eyes. "Fear is not my problem. It has never been. I have always been able to operate under pressure." Matthews' tone had not one ounce of arrogance in it. He merely stated his courage like it was an ingredient in a receipt. "It's the killing I don't like. I know it must be done, but I don't take the slightest pleasure in it. I laid down my phaser because I grew sick from the blood I had spilled."

Matthews sighed, and Grant was silent for a moment out of respect for the honest warrior. But finally, Grant asked the question. "If the Captain grants my request and offers you a reinstatement of your rank, will you accept it?"

Matthews looked Grant in the eye and gave him a firm nod. "I have the skills and the training required to fill a desperate need. Justice demands that I act accordingly. I will accept."

* * *

Colonel Gaith sat in his seat. He had never had such a difficult time finding a ship, not even during his career with the Tal Shiar. The _Orion_ had pulled a disappearing act. If he couldn't find them in the next day or so, he would have to assume that they managed repairs and returned to Starfleet. And that would spell disaster.

The Colonel belonged to a group called the 'war hawks.' It was mostly made of politicians and few military men. But Gaiath, a former member of the Tal Shiar, found a few supporters in the military and formed his own combat units. Gaiath and the war hawks had one simple goal: the conquest of the Federation. While this was the same goal as former Praetor Shinzon, the war hawks would never accept a Reman as their Praetor.

But back on Romulus the political situation was touchy. Praetor Tal'Aura was opening the door for peace talks with the Federation. The vast majority of the military was controlled by Commanders Donatra and Suran. Donatra in particular was favorable to the Federation, even if she had no love for her Praetor. Although Gaiath had some military control, his contingent was considerably smaller than the forces Donatra and Suran controlled.

But Colonel Gaiath knew that the Federation threat wasn't going away. And trying to make peace with them violated every Romulan principle. Eventually those old Romulan principles would rise out of the politics victorious, and the military would swing away from Tal'Aura and even from Donatra and back to the war hawks. Then the conquest of the Federation could begin. As one of the few military forces not allied with Donatra, Gaiath felt it was his responsibility to lay the ground work for this conquest even now. Destroying outpost Beta-Gamma was supposed to be a simple strike, easily covered up. Without the sensor station at Beta-Gamma he could continue to operate within and indeed beyond the Neutral Zone without the Federation knowing.

But the _Orion_ ruined all of that. If the _Orion_ were to escape, then the Federation would know of his illegal battles. They would pressure the Romulan Senate to denounce all such activities. This would weaken the Colonel's political party and allow the Empire to fall into the hands of people like Tal'Aura or Donatra. This would be the worst case scenario. Colonel Gaiath desperately needed to find the _Orion_.

"Subcommander! We have something." The Colonel vaguely listened to his underlings.

"What is it?"

"Some sort of subspace disruption."

"Could it have been caused by the _Orion_?"

"Possibly, Subcommander. It could have been caused by a subspace weapon of sorts or a warp core breach."

The Colonel's idle interest suddenly became a great hope. "Did you say 'warp core breach'?"

"Yes, Colonel," replied the crewman.

"How far away?"

"Two lightyears."

"Shall we investigate, Colonel?" asked the first officer.

"Yes, Subcommander, we shall. Bring me there now. Maximum warp."

"Yes, Colonel.

* * *

 _Acting Captain's log; stardate 57023.4: It has been ten days since the warp core had to be ejected. Since then the Orion has been traveling at high impulse. Without the warp core as a major sort of power the Orion has had to operate on a lower energy budget. Non-essentials have been eliminated including recreational use of holodecks and replicators. The crew is eating a mix of emergency rations and simple replicator food. And to top it all off, the one man on the ship that is able to make emergency rations taste good is now a lieutenant in Security._

Lindsey set down another boring report from her datapad on to the arm of her Captain's chair. If she thought the reports she used to give Captain Taylor were boring these were far worse. The boredom was particularly torturous since Lindsey desperately wanted to see a good report such as: 'communications are back online,' 'we found an abandoned warp core,' or 'a Starfleet vessel has found us.' But there was no such luck.

Henry entered the bridge, and Lindsey turned to him. "Anything to report?"

"Engineering is fine. Lt. Grant continues to train his new deputies. Dr. Randel has an empty sick bay, but he assures me that they are ready for any medical emergencies."

"Same report as yesterday."

"No change is good," said Henry as he came to sit in the first officer's chair on Lindsey's right.

"I know, but a week and a half of traveling at impulse with power preservation modes is beginning to get to me. How's crew morale?"

"Holding in there. They know we are almost there." Henry then spoke to Lt. Mikkelson who was at the helm. "Helm, at our current pace, how long until we arrive at Alpha-Theta?"

"Twenty-eight hours and six minutes."

"You see, Captain. That's barely over a day. We'll be there before you know it."

"Not likely. I am guessing this one day will be the longest of my life," Lindsey answered. "But thank you for trying to encourage me."

"That's my job." Henry adjusted himself in his chair. "Computer, what is the time?"

"The time is currently 1736."

Henry turned to Lindsey. "Your shift is up in twenty-four minutes. I suggest you sleep well tonight. You're going to need it for the final push."

"Alright, Henry. I don't think I will get anymore sleep after tonight though."

"Me neither."

* * *

The Romulan Warbird continued to follow the impulse trail. They had found the trail at the location of the subspace disturbance which they confirmed was the aftermath of a breached warp core. The _Orion_ apparently survived, but was now stuck traveling at less than light speeds.

"Colonel, there is a starship ahead."

"Bring us out of warp five hundred kilometers behind it."

"Yes, Colonel." The Warbird dropped out of warp.

"Bring the ship on screen." And there it was. The _Orion._ "Ha ha ha ha. Now we have her," said Colonel Gaiath. "Weapons status?"

"We are low on photon torpedoes, but disruptors and plasma torpedoes are ready and at your command. We are already in weapons range."

"Load the forward torpedo tubes with the photon torpedoes, and bring us up right behind their warp nacelles. I want to take out their propulsion in one volley. No sudden movements. I want to maintain our cloak until the last second."

"Yes, Colonel," responded the ship's first officer. The Romulan Colonel leaned back in his chair and smiled. Victory would be his.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 _Acting Captain's log; supplemental: If all goes as plan this will be the last time I lay my head down before we are able to contact Starfleet. As tense as the last couple days have been I hope that tomorrow will be just as quiet. We are so close, but I can't shake the feeling that we are not safe yet._

"Lieutenant! Cloaked ship on our aft!"

Henry jolted up right in his first officer's chair as Ens. Selena Chaput shouted from the navigation console. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. It just came out of warp. It is coming right under our impulse trail."

"Do they know that we are aware of them?"

"Not that I can tell, Lieutenant."

"Red alert!" Henry opened a channel on his combadge to the entire ship. "This is the first officer, all hands to battle stations; repeat, all hands to battle stations. Romulan Warbird on our aft. Captain Lander, report to the bridge immediately."

The atmosphere on the _Orion_ transformed from a sleepy lull to an awaken tension. Red lights flashed throughout the ship, and warning sirens blared. Every off-duty crewman was rushing to get to his or her post, and everyone else was going to the designated safe zones.

Only two minutes after the red alert sounded Lindsey came to the bridge. Her uniform was somewhat wrinkled, and her blond hair was a mess. Apparently, she had rolled out of bed as soon as the alert was raise, and also apparently she had slept in her uniform.

"Status!"

"Cloaked vessel on our aft," answered Henry.

"How close?"

"One hundred kilometers and closing," said Selina.

Lindsey came around the railing and sat in her captain's chair. "Are their weapons powered up?"

"It's hard to tell with the cloaking and all," said Selina. "But based on the energy readings I am getting, I would guess, yes."

"Henry, what's our weapon's status?"

Henry was at the tactical console. "Weapons are not yet powered up, but all phaser banks and photon torpedo tubes are operational."

"Can you power up the aft tubes without being noticed?"

"I believe I can, but I need a few minutes," answered Henry.

Lt. Johnathan Mikkelson arrived on the bridge, and Henry pointed him to his station. Selina took a moment to whisper updates to him before yielding the navigator's seat. Lt. Mikkelson reported, "Cloaked vessel fifty kilometers and closing."

"Captain, I can confirm that this is the same vessel that passed us in the asteroid field," added Selina from her new station at operations.

"Thank you, both."

"Captain, aft torpedo tubes are powered up. Ready to fire on your order."

"Wait."

"Wait?" asked Henry. "They are already in firing range."

"Have they fired on us?"

"No. But I don't think we have to wait for them to fire to know that they are a danger."

"Agreed. However, they haven't fired yet because they do not know, that we know, that they are here." Lindsey leaned back in her chair. "They will do exactly what they did at Beta-Gamma. They will wait until they are at point blank range. Only then will they decloak and fire. But this time it will be different. This time we will have the element of surprise. Ensign Chaput, give your reading to Lt. Hickensen for targeting purposes. Henry, do your best to make our first volley count. If you could take out their disruptors that would be best."

"Yes, Captain."

"Selina, what is their approach vector?"

"They are just slightly below our aft."

"They're going to target our propulsion," said Lindsey with a hint of worry in her voice. "Prepare to fire."

"Cloaked vessel is five kilometers from our stern," reported Selina. Henry's fingers hovered over the fire controls. "Four kilometers; three kilometers."

Lindsey raised her hand and pointed up with two fingers. "Target." Henry selected the best targets on the cloaked ship. Then looked up at Lindsey. It was only a second, but it was long and tense second before she dropped her hand.

"Fire!"

* * *

"Ten kilometers."

"Steady," said the Romulan first officer. "Colonel, we will be under them in a moment. We will fire on your command."

"Excellent, Subcommander." The Colonel leaned back in his seat. Despite his eagerness, he kept a calm composure.

"Five kilometers…three kilometers…two kil…"

"We're being targeted!" shouted the sensor officer. "They're firing!"

The Warbird lurched with the impact of several photon torpedoes. Reports were coming in from all the officers, but the Colonel shouted above all of them.

"Return fire!"

* * *

"Romulan Warbird decloaking!" said Henry. The _Orion_ shook violently from the impact. "They've fired photon torpedos." The _Orion_ shook again.

"We're taking heavy damage on the aft sections! Lower decks are also taking hits!" shouted Ens. Chaput from her station. "Shield strength at 60%!"

"Keep firing!" shouted Lindsey, but Henry shouted in return, "Aft torpedo tubes are hit!"

"Hard to Starboard! Tip our dorsal side! Fire phasers!"

The _Orion_ turned to the right presenting the dorsal side to the Romulan Warbird, all the while drilling the enemy ship with its top side phaser arrays. The Warbird took a few more shots to the bottom rear of the _Orion._ There was a particularly violent shake, and Selina shouted, "Propulsion system hit! We've lost impulse!"

"Thrusters at full! Keep us turning! Power up forward torpedo tubes!" The _Orion_ continued to turn to the right while the Romulan Warbird fired at the top of the _Orion_ a few more times before it broke off its attack. The impacts near the bridge produced particularly violent shaking and rattling, and Lindsey looked nervously at the patchwork on the bridge's hull. She did not want to die from atmospheric decompression the way the previous captain did.

"More impacts on our starboard side!" shouted Selina. "System failures and structural compromises on multiple decks and one hull breach on deck 9."

Finally, the attack ended. "Where are they?"

"The Warbird broke to port," said Selina. "It is now behind us, flying away."

"Retreating?" asked Henry.

"Or merely setting up for another attack," said Lindsey. "They are smaller, more maneuverable, and have better acceleration than us. They will be back, but we will be ready. Helm, continue our starboard maneuver and bring us about. I want to face my enemy. Status reports! Shields?!"

"Shields are at 32%," reported Selina Chaput.

"Engineering, what is our propulsion status?"

The bridge engineer, Ens. Riley, answered. "Our starboard warp nacelle is gone. We have also lost our starboard and aft impulse engines, and the portside impulse engine is currently offline. Thrusters have taken damage but are mostly functional."

"How long before we have impulse power?"

The engineer consulted his console then reported. "Lt. Kustov says he can get the portside impulse engine online in forty minutes."

"Forty minutes?!" exclaimed Henry. "That's an eternity in battle!"

"We can't run or hide. It's time to fight," said Lindsey. "Weapons status?"

Henry answered. "Our armory was hit. We only have the torpedoes in the tubes. Aft torpedo tubes are offline. So is the front starboard tube, but we still have the front and portside tubes as well as the ventral tube. Each tube has ten torpedoes."

"Three tubes and thirty torpedoes! What about phasers?"

"Phasers are offline."

"What about the Romulans?"

"I did a number on them," said Henry. "What do you think, Ens. Chaput?"

"I think their disruptors are damaged, but they can still fire torpedoes." Selina then looked up from her screen. "Captain, they are turning back!"

"Helm, line us up. We will need to use our forward torpedo tubes." Lindsey sat back and thought for a second. She was running her hand through her messy hair when a beeping came on the bridge.

"Captain, they're hailing us," said Selina with a hint of surprise in her voice.

Lindsey opened a compartment in her captain's chair. "Ah, Captain Taylor still had a few of these stashed." Lindsey pulled out a hair tie.

"Lindsey, what are you doing?"

"Captain Taylor always told me to look your best when talking with the enemy," she answered as she pulled back her hair into a simple pony tail. "I will settle for not looking like I just rolled out of bed." Lindsey straighten her uniform. "Put them on screen, Ensign."

The view screen then displayed a very official but smug looking Romulan officer. Lindsey couldn't recognize his rank insignia. "I am Colonel Gaiath of the Romulan Star Empire, surrender your ship, and we will show mercy."

"I am Captain Lindsey Lander of the Federation Starship _Orion_. You are in Federation space and in violation of the Treaty of Algeron by crossing the Neutral Zone. It is you who ought to surrender to us. And don't think me the fool. Merciful or not, circumstances force you to either kill us or take us prisoner. And I am not about to let you do either of those things to my crew without a fight."

"Captain? Your rank is only that of a lieutenant, Ms. Lander."

"Acting Captain, thanks to you. Our losses have caused us much grief, but now I have an entire starship crew that desires vengeance. Who am I to deny them?"

"You're in over your head, Lieutenant."

"Maybe I am Colonel. But you will be the one to pay if you're wrong. I am the captain of a Federation Starship, and that makes me very dangerous." Lindsey turned and nodded to Selina who then killed the transmission.

Lindsey paused in thought until an idea came to her mind. "Lt. Mikkelson, what is our tractor beam status?"

"Tractor beam?"

"Yes, Johnathan, the tractor beam!"

"Ah, fully operational."

"Good. Helm, thrusters at full. Set a course right at the Warbird."

"A strafing vector?" asked Ens. Luke Ryan.

"Negative, Ensign. Set a collision course and adjust appropriately if the Romulans try to get out of the way."

"Lindsey?" asked Henry "What are you doing?"

"Lt. Hickensen, program the first three torpedoes in each tube to detonate early. I want to use them as counter measures to block the enemy torpedoes. Use the rest to target their engines. I am trusting you, Henry. Don't hold back. We're not saving anything for the next round. This is it. It is either us or them. If you can't take out their warp and impulse abilities, we lose.

"Lt. Mikkelson, set the tractor beam on repulse mode, and, on my mark, hit the Warbird with as strong of a repulsor beam as possible. Red line the tractor beam if you need to. We won't be needing it later, and I want as big of a push as possible."

"I see," said Johnathan as he appeared to understand Lindsey's plan.

"Gutsy move, Lindsey," said Henry as the _Orion_ began to move. "Let's hope it works."

"Take out those engines, Henry, and it will," answered Lindsey.

* * *

"Colonel, they doing a direct charge!"

The Romulan Colonel laughed. Learning that he was dealing with a young and inexperienced captain had boosted his confidence. "They only have forward weapons. Charge at them at full speed. Fire plasma torpedoes when in range. When they break off we will get behind them and finish them."

* * *

Henry watched the viewscreen as the Romulan ship got larger. His hands hovered above the fire controls.

"Romulan Warbird at one hundred kilometers and closing fast," said Selina from across the bridge. "They're firing torpedoes."

"Fire counter measures," said Lindsey who showed no sign of nervousness as she sat in her captain's chair. Rather she had a determined look on her face. She had a plan and was going to see it through, for good or for ill.

"Firing counter measures," said Henry. Henry focused on his job, only occasionally looking up at the viewscreen to watch as his photon torpedoes exploded early and detonated the incoming Romulan torpedoes. The trick was surprisingly effective, but a few still got by. "Prepare for impact!" said Henry just as the torpedoes were about to hit.

The _Orion_ shook from impact, but a reassuring voice came from across the bridge. "Three plasma torpedoes have hit the forward sections. Minimal damage, and shields are holding at 29%. Romulan Warbird at fifty kilometers and closing."

Lindsey turned towards Henry. "Henry, do your damage. Fire at will."

* * *

The Warbird took hit after hit, and the Colonel was no longer happy.

"Damage to the impulse engines!" Shouted an excited engineer. "Another hit like that one and we will lose propulsion."

"Continue heading!" replied the Colonel. "They with will break off. Then we'll fire on their vulnerable aft."

* * *

"Shields failing!" screamed Ens. Chaput. "Severe damage to the forward sections, and a hull breach on deck 6."

"Romulan warbird at twenty kilometers!" said Lt. Mikkelson.

"Johnathan, activate repulsor beam at ten kilometers."

"Negative Captain!" shouted Henry from behind Lindsey. "Give me longer than that."

"Henry, I can't do that."

"Trust me, Lindsey."

Lindsey looked back at Henry who was working the firing controls like she had never seen before. It was clear to her that he had some plan. "Johnathan, activate repulsor beam on the first officer's mark. You better be right about this, Henry."

* * *

Colonel Gaiath stared in awe as the _Orion_ loomed in closer. He began to doubt his first theory and believe that the _Orion's_ junior captain had actually ordered a ramming maneuver. The _Enterprise_ had done it to the _Scimitar._ Maybe the _Orion_ would do it to him!

"Collision warning!" shouted the navigator. "The _Orion_ is at ten kilometers and closing."

The Colonel panicked, "Activate repulsor beam! Push them away!"

* * *

"Seven, Six, Fi…"

The _Orion_ jolted suddenly, and Lindsey saw Henry slam his controls. "Now!" he shouted. Lindsey watched as Johnathan moved two display levers all the way up into a red zone, and then she felt the effects of the repulsor beam. The Romulan Warbird disappeared from the viewscreen, and Lindsey knew that they were clear from impact.

"Helm, lay in a new coarse away from the Warbird. Take the heading in which the tractor beam pushed us. Selina, get us some shields. We may need to disrupt their tractor beam."

"That won't be necessary," said Henry who was smiling when Lindsey turned to look at him. Lindsey quickly reran the last couple of seconds in her mind and then recalled the jolt just before Henry's order.

"You waited until they used their tractor beam, and then you took out the tractor beam emitter?"

"It wouldn't pay to escape only to be reeled in again. I waited to see where the array was. When we were jolted, I targeted the energy surge. Besides, their repulsor beam gave us an added push."

"You're crazy!"

"Crazier than a Captain who orders a collision course? Just remember in your report that you started it."

"Report? No time for that. Status!"

"Shields are gone…" started Selina.

"Not ours; theirs! Are they pursuing us?"

Selina looked at her display. "Romulan Warbird is coming around." She looked up with a smile. "They are using thrusters only."

* * *

"Subcommander! Impulse and warp engines are offline. Engineers are not sure how long before they are operational again."

"Colonel, what do we do?" asked the first officer.

"Set pursuit course. Use the tractor beam to keep them from escaping."

"Tractor beam is offline, Colonel."

"Weapons?"

"Offline."

Colonel Gaiath allowed himself to be overcome with anger for just a moment. This young captain had made a fool of him, but she had only delayed her defeat. "Time for plan B. Have our centurions prepare a boarding party."

* * *

"Congratulations, Captain. It worked," said Johnathan. "Our relative velocity to the Warbird is increasing."

"And their weapons must be offline, as they haven't shot at us yet," added Selina.

But Lindsey quieted the celebrations. "We are not safe yet. We are still in transporter range and our shields are down. Captain Lander to Engineering, how long until we have impulse?"

"Another twenty to thirty minutes, Captain," answered Lt. Vladimir Kustov.

"Captain Lander to all security officers and deputies. Prepare to defend the ship. We are about to be boarded."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 _Personal log, Provisional Lieutenant Junior Grade Richard Matthews; stardate 57024.3: The Romulan Warbird has found us and the_ Orion _is engaging it. There is little for a security officer to do in a space battle, but things can change quickly, and we all need to be prepared for Romulans to board the_ Orion. _I am tasked with defending Engineering. I have under my command a squad made up of three ensigns, six enlisted security men, and eight deputies._

 _I am not looking forward to combat again, but I know my duty. It is time to set aside my feelings and do what needs to be done to protect the_ Orion _and its crew._

"Captain Lander to all security officers and deputies. Prepare to defend the ship. We are about to be boarded."

Lt. 'Chef' Matthews gave his last minute orders. "Everyone in position! Engineering will be a likely target! Stay sharp, keep your heads down, and use your phasers! I want fire superiority!"

Chef checked his own phaser rifle, then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As he exhaled he let all of his fears, worries, dreads, and reluctances out with the air. When he opened his eyes, he was ready for battle.

Then the Captain's voice came over a ship wide broadcast. "Attention all hands, Romulans have bordered the _Orion_. All security personnel, defend your designated areas."

* * *

"Ensign Chaput, do we have bridge shields? I don't want Romulans to beam directly on to the bridge."

Selina answered her Captain. "Yes, bridge shields are at minimal, but they are up." Then a beeping came from her tactical console. "Captain, I am reading various transporter signals on multiple decks, including deck 2, right below us!" said Selina with a quiver in her voice. Her voice even squeaked a bit as she felt her heart beat in her throat.

Captain Lander initiated a ship wide broadcast. "Attention all hands, Romulans have bordered the _Orion_. All security personnel, defend your designated areas." Then she turned to her helmsman. "Ryan, you stay at the helm and keep putting distance between us and the Warbird." She then spoke to the engineer who was helping on the bridge. "Ensign Riley, transfer all communications from engineering to the helm. We need you on defense." Then she turned to Lt. Hickensen. "Henry, you are in charge of bridge security. All other bridge personnel, arm yourselves and prepare to defend the bridge."

Lt. Hickensen immediately opened the security box and began handing out handheld phasers and phaser rifles to the bridge crew. "Lt. Murphey and Deputy Johnson, the three of us will cover the turbo lift. Ens. Riley, see if you can jam the lift car so they can't get in. Johnathan, take the port side and cover us. Captain, you do the same at the starboard side." Lt. Hickensen handed phasers to the navigator and the Captain. Then he grabbed another rifle and extended it to Selina. "Ms. Chaput, I need you to get behind the captain's chair. Your job is to protect Ryan. We must protect the helm. Shoot any Romulan who even looks at him."

"Captain!" spoke Selina, trying to keep the excitement and fear out of her voice. "Shouldn't we be getting more security teams to the bridge!"

"Negative. We'll defend it ourselves."

Lt. Hickensen continued to hold out the rifle. "We all took the required self-defense training."

"I failed two times." Selina could no longer keep the panic out of her voice. "On the third time the instructor tweaked my score so I just barely passed! I can't do this."

The first officer gave her a compassionate look. He replaced the phaser rifle in the security box and grabbed a handheld phaser instead. He put his arm around Selina and walked her to the captain's chair. "Focus on your breathing. Take deep breaths and calm down." Selina did as instructed and relaxed her breathing which she hadn't even noticed was out of control. "Good. Now crouch down behind the chair. Keep your head low." Then he placed the phaser in her hand. "Grip it with both hands. All you have to do is point and squeeze. You can do this, Selina."

"Romulans have accessed the lift tube!" said Ens. Riley. "They are hitting the car with disruptor blasts."

"Selina, stay calm, stay focused," said Lt. Hickensen just before standing up and taking his position. "Ready or not, here they come."

* * *

Disruptor fire was met with phaser fire in the corridors around Engineering. Vlad had never before had to fix a ship while under fire. He could only hope that Chef was as good of a war hero as the stories claimed.

"Bridge to Engineering," came the helmsman's voice over the combadge. "How long before we have impulse?"

"I know what's wrong now. Ten minutes or less, and we'll have it back. That is if we're not killed."

"Then in ten minutes the bridge will get us out of here. That is if we're not killed. Good luck, Engineering."

"You too, Bridge." Vlad turned to his team. "Replace that power coupling. Reroute the secondary power to the portside impulse engine."

"The impulse control monitor is shot!" replied a petty officer.

"Then bypass it. We need speed, and we need it now."

* * *

A rumble and a loud bang came from the lift tube. "I think they are through the lift car. They will break into the door anytime now."

"Selina!" shouted Lindsey. "Use the console on my chair to keep an eye on the ship's situation. Let me know if any critical sector is overrun. But don't forget your primary duty of protecting the helm."

"Yes, Captain." Selina's voice was still shaky, but out of the corner of her eye Lindsey saw Selina attending to her task dutifully. Henry's little pep talk seemed to have worked.

Suddenly there was an explosion as the lift doors blew in. Lindsey couldn't see the faces of her enemy, but she saw the wide silver shoulders of their uniform. Lindsey aimed her rifle between the shoulders and squeezed the firing stud. A beam of energy shot out and hit her target.

Everyone else on the bridge was doing the same. "Keep firing!" shouted Henry, and Lindsey obeyed. She gave little thought to what was happening. She merely continued fighting. She was backed into a corner, and there was simply nothing else to do.

* * *

A disruptor blast hit dangerously close to Chef's face. Instead of frightening him, the near danger only made the fight more real. The longer the fight continued, the more Chef entered war mode. His mind was completely clear and his vision keen. He spotted his enemy and fired.

Entering such a war mode was a gift that few people had. It is what allow Matthews to rise above his fears and doubts, and function at his best in combat. It is what allowed him to do the things that earned him the title war hero.

But Matthews hated it. The cold-hearted combat felt inhuman to him. That was why he retired his commission years ago, and pursued his desire of culinary work. But this war mode was what his crewmates… his friends needed from him today. And so, Matthews put all other thoughts away, and focused on the task at hand…killing Romulans.

* * *

The transporter room of the Romulan Warbird disappeared, and a corridor of the _Orion_ replaced it. Colonel Gaiath took a deep breath of enemy air, and smiled. "Centurion, bring your squad with me. We are going to the bridge."

* * *

Ten minutes had passed, and Vlad finally had completed his repairs. "Put primary power into the portside impulse engine." After receiving an affirmative from another engineer, Vlad tapped his combadge. "Engineering to Bridge, we have impulse power. Try it now."

"Bridge here," responded Ens. Ryan's voice. "Going to one-quarter impulse." Vlad watching the power output increase with satisfaction, but Ryan's voice returned. "The impulse engine is not responding."

"Hold on!" said Vlad, as he ran to the next terminal. Power was getting their just fine. He ran a diagnostic on the portside engine. The port side had not taken all that much damage, but the impulse engine appeared to have been hit by debris. It would be an easy fix, except that all the engineers were here in the safety of Engineering.

"Bridge, the engine itself is damaged. I can fix it easily, but will take me a few minutes to get over there."

Instead of Ryan's voice, Captain Lander responded. "Negative. You will stay in Engineering, Lt. Kustov. You're our chief engineer, and we can't lose you. Send someone else. Lt. Matthews, give them an escort. And send three engineers…just in case."

"Copy that, Captain," said Lt. Matthews over the combadge. "Ens. Tiaga, take over here. Deputy Stark, take my position. Ens. Michaels, Deputy Holeman, and Deputy Wright, come with me." A moment later Chef Matthews came from his defense position with three other men to the main Engineering room. "Lt. Kustov, I need those engineers."

Vlad swallowed hard. How could he order someone on such a dangerous mission? Then a thought came to mind. "Raklok! You tried to leave me for combat duty on a couple occasions. Consider this assignment your punishment or perhaps reward."

The Klingon suddenly gave a big grin. "Yes, sir!" he said as he picked up the bat'leth he kept near him. "Come on, skittish. Let's go."

Petty Officer Shelton began to follow, but Vlad spoke to him. "Are you sure you want to go, Shelton?"

"I'll go," answered the Petty Officer. Vlad could see the fear in the boy's eyes, but there was also a determination.

"I'll go, too," said Ens. Melinda Vibee, the small human female who had been the first on the bridge on the day Captain Taylor and her crew were killed.

Vlad looked at Chef and gave the security man/cook a nod. Then Chef issued his orders. "The deputies and I will go first. Engineers stay behind us. Ens. Michaels, take the rear. Move out!"

* * *

"Lt. Matthews to Bridge, we have safely arrived at the portside impulse engine. No causalities. And we haven't seen any Romulans since leaving Engineering. Our engineers are beginning their work."

"Do you have a time estimate?" asked Captain Lander between phaser shots.

"Ens. Raklok estimates ten minutes."

Just at that moment security Deputy Johnston screamed and fell to the floor, and Henry shouted, "Man down! Johnathan, pull him to safety! Selina, fire that phaser!" Johnathan came forward still firing his phaser rifle and then pulled Deputy Johnston to a safer place on the bridge. Lindsey felt a pain in her heart as she thought of the man who, just a month ago, was merely a custodian. She wondered how many other deputies were dying right at that moment.

But then the Romulans were on the bridge. Lindsey fired and hit one of the enemies in the chest. She saw Selina fire into the crowd of Romulans, but she couldn't tell if the frighten officer hit one. Henry fired with both his rifle and pistol. Lt. Murphey was using all of his security training to great effect. Soon there were no more Romulans on the bridge or in the lift tube.

"Did we get them all?" asked Johnathan.

"Unlikely," said Henry. "They have a big enough hole to do a mass charge. I expect they are regrouping for one more attack."

"Then get ready," ordered Lindsey. "Meanwhile I'm going to take advantage of the lull. Selina, transfer that tactical data to me at this console." The shaky bridge officer managed to hit a few buttons on the captain's chair, allowing Lindsey to view the situation at the tactical station.

It didn't look good. While all the critical sections were holding their defenses, there were so many Romulans on board that the _Orion_ was effectively overrun. Even if they were able to get the impulse engines online and move out of transporter range, there were still enough Romulans on board to take over the ship.

Then Lindsey looked at the group of Romulans near the bridge. There was a mass of them on deck 2, just below the bridge. On a whim Lindsey decided to pull up the security footage. She wanted to see her enemy.

Lindsey gasped. Selina notice and asked, "Captain, what is it?"

"Take a look," answered Lindsey as she put the image on the main viewscreen. "Take a look at our enemy, Colonel Gaiath." Sure enough on the viewscreen they could all see the Romulan Colonel himself giving orders to his men.

"He's come here to gloat, I expect," said Johnathan.

"I believe you are right, Lieutenant," replied Lindsey. Then the Colonel was approaching the lift tube. "And I think the gloating begins right now," said Lindsey as she walked to the lift tube for the parley.

A voice came up through the tube. "Captain Lander, I call you 'Captain' as you have earned my respect. But fighting to the end is useless. Surrender now, and I'll let you live."

"Colonel Gaiath, I think I would rather die here on the _Orion_ than live as your prisoner." With the word 'prisoner' Lindsey suddenly had an idea. "As I said before, you will not have your victory without a fight, and I intend to fight." Her idea might work. "If you want me, then you will have to come up here and get me."

"Oh, I will come up for you, Captain. You can count on that. But there will be a lot less death if you surrender now." Lindsey only responded by firing her phaser at the floor near the Colonel's feet. "Have it your way, Captain."

Henry and Lt. Murphey came to the edge of the lift tube so they could fire down. "You should have stalled longer," said Henry.

"Time doesn't matter. There are too many Romulans on board already. We need to find a way to convince them to leave. And I think I might have a way to do so, thanks to the Colonel." Henry gave her a confused look, but Lindsey just smiled and tapped her combadge. "Lt. Kustov, are our transporters still online?"

"Yes, Captain," came the voice of the Russian engineer. "But there is no one manning the transporter rooms, and our antenna is gone."

"I want to use the transporter internally. If we got an engineer to one of the transporter rooms could we use internal communications to transport someone from within the ship to the platform?"

"Yes, that could be done."

"Excellent!" Lindsey turned to her first officer. "Henry, buy me some time with the bridge defense. Ens. Ryan, transfer all bridge controls to the backup bridge."

"Captain?" asked the helmsman.

"Do it now." Ryan did as he was ordered. "Computer, lock out the bridge, and authorize any bridge officer to activate backup bridge, Acting Captain's code: Delta 562 Gamma. We're abandoning the bridge."

* * *

"You want me to do what?" Lt. Matthews asked in surprise.

"Chef, you're the closest unit to a transporter room, and I need an experienced fighter to do this mission. Chef, you're all I got." The voice of his captain was clear.

"I don't know about the wisdom of this, Captain."

"I didn't call you to ask your opinion, nor am I giving you suggestions, Lieutenant. When I gave you back your commission, I did it expecting that you would obey my orders."

"Yes, Captain, right away." Matthews put his head into the Jefferies tube near the impulse engine. "Hey, the Captain has a mission, and I need an engineer who can operate the transporter."

"We're almost…"

"I need one now!"

"I'll go," said the small female engineer, Ens. Melina Vibee. "I am just getting in the way back here."

"Good, get out here now. Ens. Michaels, stay here and guard the impulse engine." Ens. Vibee climbed out of the Jefferies tube, and Chef stuck his head back in. "Raklok, Shelton, I can only leave you one guard. Get that engine running and be careful." He thought he heard the Klingon laugh, but he ignored it. "Deputy Holeman, give Ms. Vibee your spare phaser." The Deputy gave his handheld phaser to the small female engineer who handled it carefully. "Stay right behind me, Ms. Vibee. Let's move out."

* * *

A number of his Romulan soldiers were killed trying to ascend to the top deck, and a few more died on the bridge itself. But soon they reported an all clear. Colonel Gaiath, puzzled by the ease of his victory, climbed quickly up the makeshift ladder and on to the bridge, only to find there was not a single Starfleet officer on it.

"Where did they go?"

"We're not sure," said a centurion. "But they have locked out the bridge. We cannot control the _Orion_ from here."

Colonel Gaiath smiled. "I don't know how they got off this bridge, but I know where they are going."

* * *

They had successfully crawled out the same access panel that Lindsey had used to get on the bridge back at Beta-Gamma. They crawled down the Jefferies tube for seven decks and emerged on deck 8. "Hurry, we need to move," said Lindsey as she helped her bridge crew out of the tube.

Once they were gathered Capt. Lindsey Lander and security Lt. Murphey took the lead. They were followed by Lt. Johnathan Mikkelson who was carrying the injured Deputy Johnston. Then came Ens. Luke Ryan, the helmsman, who now held a phaser. Next to him was Ens. Selina Chaput. Bringing up the rear was the engineer Ens. Riley and lastly Lt. Henry Hickensen, the first officer.

They made it halfway across the ship's saucer section when they were cut off by a squad of Romulans. They turned around and tried a different way. But soon they were cut off again. A third attempt at outmaneuvering their enemy ended with them being surrounded. They were in a curved corridor. They stood back to back with Lindsey, Murphey, and Ryan pointing their phasers one way, and Henry, Johnathan, and Riley the other. The injured Johnston lay between them, with Selina guarding him. They were able to keep the Romulans from coming around the curves by firing their phasers excessively.

"Still think this was a good idea, Lindsey?" asked Henry.

A signal chime sounded from Lindsey's combadge. "It isn't over yet," she replied with a smile.

"On the contrary, Captain. It is over," came the Romulan Colonel's voice from around the bend. The Romulans stopped firing and there was a surreal calm. "Last chance, Captain. Do you want life or death? Surrender now."

"I choose a glorious death," answered the Captain as she raised her phaser for her last stand. And she didn't have to wait long before the enemy came.

* * *

Lt. Matthews had sent his ready signal to the Captain, and she had replied with a chime of her own. For a brief moment Chef took in the fact that he and Deputy Wright were about to charge by themselves an entire squad of Romulan soldiers. This was the gutsiest thing he had ever done; even more so that fighting the Jem-Hadar.

Chef took a breath and turned to Deputy Wright. "Time to put your shooting to the test. Take out as many as you can right of the Colonel. I'll worry about the left." The two of them silently approached as they heard phaser and disruptor fire. Chef tapped his combadge. "Ens. Vibee, two to transport on my mark." He waved Wright forward and charged.

Wright came around the corner, crouched and fired. Of all the deputies that took up security work, Wright had the best marksmanship, which was extremely impressive for a lab tech in the science department. Wright took out three Romulans before they even noticed him.

Chef did not crouch or take cover. Instead he ran straight at the Romulans. He had dropped his phaser rifle and chosen instead his handheld phaser. He fired and took out two Romulans, but his true target was right in front of him: the Romulan Colonel.

The Colonel turned around just in time to see Chef. He drew his disruptor pistol from its holster. But Chef dropped his phaser, bent low, and tackled the Colonel. "Vibee, now!"

For a moment his vision was changed into sparkles of white light. Then he was on the transporter room platform. The Romulan Colonel was still fighting him, but Ens. Vibee shouted, "Get off the platform! I need to get the others"

Chef slammed the Colonel's hand on the platform causing him to drop his disruptor. Then he hurled the Colonel off the platform on to the transporter room floor. The Romulan tried to get to his feet, but Deputy Holeman was standing over him with his phaser rifle.

Chef grabbed the loose disruptor and jumped off the platform. A moment later and a few more people materialized on the platform, and Captain Lander walked forward, phaser in hand. "Colonel Gaiath," she said. "Consider yourself a prisoner of the Federation."

* * *

Selina was completely terrified to be in a combat situation. It was like a nightmare. How she continued to function she didn't know. She had fired a few vague shots with her phaser, but she probably hadn't hit anything. Her saving grace was standing next to Lt. Hickensen, who was magnificent with a phaser.

The next series of events came in slow motion for Selina. Suddenly Lt. Hickensen who was her strong support was transported away. In the next moment, Lt. Johnathan Mikkelson was hit, and he screamed as he fell to the floor. Then looming in front of her was a Romulan soldier. His disruptor coming around to aim at her.

Selina screamed, but as she did so she extended her arms. Her hands were still holding her phaser. She pointed it at the Romulan. As she prepared to be hit by a disruptor blast, her whole body tensed up. Her trigger finger must have tensed as well, since a beam of energy shot out of the phaser and into the Romulan's chest. A look of pain and surprise came to his face as he fell to the ground.

Selina stared at him for only a second as two more Romulans came. She turned to the first one and squeezed the trigger. He too was hit and fell to the ground. But before she could fire at the third one, the white light of a transporter beam engulfed her, and she found herself in the transporter room. She then collapsed as her nervous energy failed her.

* * *

"Transport those two to sick bay," said Henry as he pulled a shaken Selina off the platform. Lindsey watched as the two injured men, Johnathan and Deputy Johnson, were transported away. After that the bridge crew including Ryan, Riley, and Selina still being held by Henry were transported to the backup bridge.

Then Lindsey turned towards her prisoner. "The wounded are in sick bay, the backup bridge is online, and impulse engines will soon be restored. That just leaves me to deal with you." She walked up to the Romulan Colonel who was held securely by Lt. Matthews. "Colonel Gaiath, I think it is time you called off your men."

"Why would I do that? Even if you get your impulse engines online, I have enough troops to take this ship."

"Maybe you do. But soon you will be out of transporter range of your Warbird. There will be no way for you to return to your ship."

"That won't matter if I control your ship."

"Ensign, can you pull up the status of the battles across the _Orion_?"

"Yes, Captain," said Ens. Vibee as she turned on a display screen.

"You see, Colonel. We are still holding all the critical sectors. Engineering, sickbay, our emergence shelters, and now the backup bridge."

"Your security is weak at that backup bridge, as it is here."

"But who will give the order to attack here or there?" Lindsey waited for a moment as the Colonel tried his communications device. "Is it not working? Perhaps our communication damping field around the transporter room is blocking it. Your soldiers are leaderless. This also means that you cannot communicate with your Warbird, nor can it transport you out of here. That makes you my prisoner. A prisoner in which the Federation will take great interest."

"I will die before I talk."

"You won't have to talk," said Lindsey. "The fact that I have a Romulan Colonel who was captured while attacking a Federation starship on our side of the Neutral Zone will speak volumes on its own." Lindsey continued as she walked around the Romulan officer. "Your name is already known to me, Colonel Gaiath. I wonder if Starfleet intelligence will know who your friends are on Romulus. If they don't know, I'm sure our Romulan friends, like Commander Donatra or Praetor Tal'Aura will. Imagine the stain on their careers and the loss to their political influence if one of their colonels was caught red handed. This might lead to a change in the balance of power back on Romulus."

Lindsey let the image of the Colonel's political party failing sink into his mind. "In short, if you remain my prisoner, there will be no denying what happened here or on Beta-Gamma. On the other hand, if you were not to be captured, you could at least make up a denial story. The Federation will never buy it, but without a body their case will be weaker."

"What are you proposing?" asked Colonel Gaiath skeptically. "That you would let me go?"

"If you take every signal living Romulan off this ship, then yes, I will let you go."

The Colonel thought for a bit, and then smiled. "No, I don't think so. You're whole plan is based on the fact that you have impulse power. Where is this power? I don't see it. I think you are bluffing."

"I will have impulse in a matter of minutes."

"Then I will wait these couple minutes. But every minute it takes, is a minute closer to my victory."

* * *

"Romulans!" shouted Ens. Michaels back up the Jefferies tube. Then Raklok heard phaser fire.

"He can't take on a whole squad by himself," said the Klingon with an itch for battle.

"Then go," said Petty Officer Shelton. "It won't take me long to finish here."

"Take this," said Raklok as he pulled his dagger from his belt. "It is a Klingon d'k tahg. If the Romulans come into the Jefferies tube, cut their throat or thrust into their chest." The sheepish looking petty officer took the wicked looking Klingon dagger and gave a nod of respect. Then Raklok eagerly grabbed his bat'leth.

Once outside the Jefferies tube, Raklok saw Ens. Michaels' motionless body on the ground behind the corner. Raklok hide behind the same corner and listened. He heard the enemy's footsteps. And just as they were about to turn the corner, Raklok charged around swinging his bat'leth and shouting Klingon battle cries. He quickly took out the three lead Romulans. The rear guard tried to fire upon him, but he jumped back behind the corner.

"Come and face me, you Romulan cowards. Know that there is one Klingon warrior here to challenge you." A disruptor appeared around the corner, but Raklok removed the hand that held it.

Then Raklok here the sound of the impulse engine coming to life. "Ha ha, too late, Romulans."

They came all at once around the corner. Raklok knew that his only chance was to get so close that their disruptors were ineffective, so he charged right into the midst of them. He cut and he slashed with his bat'leth. He felt the hands of the Romulans trying to pull him down. He also felt the barrel of a disruptor pistol in his gut. He tried to jump out of the way, but the blast grazed him and burned his side. He felt the pain, but let it drive him rather than limit him. The scar would only add to his glory and honor.

He killed a few more Romulans before he was hit by another disruptor blast, this time on his lower left leg. He felt to the ground and looked up to see a Romulan standing over him. The Romulan took aim at him.

"They will sing of my victory," laughed the Klingon.

But the Romulan suddenly turned around and tried to bring his disruptor to bear on some enemy that Raklok couldn't see. Then the Romulan gave a choked sound of pain and fell backwards onto Raklok. Raklok lifted his head to see his d'k tahg in the Romulan's chest, and Shelton standing above his fallen enemy.

"Ha ha! We'll make a warrior out of you yet, skittish!"

Shelton reached down and retrieved the d'k tahg, and with a new sense of confidence he said, "I think it's time for a new nick name."

* * *

"Captain, we have impulse power."

"Thank you, Ensign Ryan," said Lindsey into her combadge. "Take us to just inside transporter range of the Warbird and hold relative position."

"Yes, Captain."

The Colonel looked around as though trying to figure out a way that an impulse engine could be faked.

"I assure you, Colonel. This is real. Call off your men, or I hand deliver you to Starfleet Headquarters."

"You don't expect me to order all my men away and leave myself at your mercy?"

"No, you can call an eight man squad to come here to the transporter room. I will hand you over to them once the rest have left."

"Okay, Captain. But don't imagine that this is over. It will not take my engineers long to give my Warbird impulse again."

"Then it's a race." Lindsey turned to the female engineer. "Ens. Vibee, lower the damping field to allow the Colonel to transmit. But stand by to raise the shield if he tries any tricks, or if the Warbird attempts to transport him off ship." Ens. Vibee lowered the field and nodded to Lindsey. "Colonel Gaiath, tell your men to stand down."

"All Romulan soldiers, cease fire and hold positions."

"All security personnel and deputies, hold fire unless fired upon," said Lindsey. "Good, now you may order your escort. Hurry, I am not patient."

"Squad one, come to the port-aft transporter room. Eight men only. Take position outside the room and stand by. The rest of the squad link up with squad two."

Lindsey waited until the squad was outside the door, and then she nodded to Chef, "Lieutenant, open the door." The door opened with Chef and Deputy Wright hiding on either side, weapons ready.

"Now Colonel, order your men off my ship."

The Colonel sighed, but spoke into his communicator. "This is Colonel Gaiath, to the Warbird _Accipiter_. Transport all troops, both dead and alive, back to the ship except the eight man squad next to my location." He turned to Lindsey. "Are you happy?"

Lindsey didn't answer right away, but looked at Ens. Vibee. She in turned looked at her console. Then she lifted her head and said, "There are no Romulans on board the _Orion_ except the Colonel and his escort."

"Colonel, you may join your men." The Romulan Colonel slowly walked out of the transporter room and towards his men; all the while Lindsey, her three security men, and even Ens. Vibee kept their phasers on him.

When he reached his men, Lindsey said, "Colonel Gaiath, you have exactly five seconds to get off my ship before I order my helmsman to go to full impulse."

The Colonel called to his ship, "Transport the rest of us, now." He turned to Lindsey. "This isn't over." And then he was gone.

"Captain to helm, full impulse. Put some distance between us and the Warbird."

"We are at full impulse." There was a long pause before Ryan's voice came back. "We are out of transporter range."

Lindsey looked at Vibee. "There are no more Romulans on board the _Orion_ ," she reported.

"Thank you, Ensign." With a tap of her combadge, Lindsey said, "This is the Captain to all hands. The ship is ours." At that moment Lindsey, overwhelmed with battle weariness, lowered herself to the floor with her back against the console. But Chef, his two deputies, and Ens. Vibee stood in front of her and applauded.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 _Acting Captain's log, stardate 57025.6: It has been fourteen hours since the Romulan boarding party retreated. Since then the Romulans have recloaked their ship and are somewhere outside of our modified sensors' range. I don't believe for an instant that they have given up their pursuit. But for now my attention has been on repairs. We are still operating on only one impulse engine, but we have recovered the main bridge; although climbing up to it is still a task. Weapons' status hasn't improved much either._

 _The causality list sickens me. So many have died defending the_ Orion _including deputies who should have never been fighting. Many more are lying in sick bay. I am not sure that I am cut out for captain duty. The responsibility for the lives of so many is almost unbearable._

 _We are still a day and a half away from outpost Alpha-Theta. With only one impulse engine it has been slow going. I am hoping and praying that help arrives soon, but my hope is diminishing. I need a sign that there will be a happy ending to this. I am doing all I can to get the_ Orion _back into battle condition, but frankly I think the next battle will be the end of the_ Orion.

"Captain."

Lindsey heard the voice, but it didn't register. She was on the bridge, and Captain Taylor was in her chair. A crewman was trying to get the Captain's attention, but she was ignoring him.

"Captain!" Lindsey couldn't understand why Captain Taylor wouldn't acknowledge her crewman.

"Lindsey!"

Lindsey woke with a jolt, and found herself on the bridge and in the captain's chair. Captain Taylor was nowhere to be found. Then all the memories came back to her.

"Captain, glad you're awake," said Henry.

"I must have dozed for a second," she answered. "What is going on?" she asked when she saw Henry's big smile.

"A ship just dropped out of warp in front of us."

"The Romulans?!" asked Lindsey as she straighten in her chair.

"No, it's a Federation vessel, a runabout by the looks of it."

"They're hailing us," said Ens. Selina Chaput.

Lindsey shook herself awake and said, "On screen."

The viewscreen changed from the image of the small long range shuttle craft to a Starflight officer in a blue science uniform with the rank of Lieutenant. "This is Lt. Wheaton of the runabout the USS _Rhine_ , assigned to outpost Alpha-Theta. We saw you on long range scans and are puzzled as to why you didn't contact us."

"This Lindsey Lander, Acting Captain of the USS _Orion_. We didn't contact you because our communications array is damaged beyond repair. And that is not the only damage we've sustained. We had to eject our warp core, two of our three impulse engines are offline, and we have several other systems offline."

"Is the damage from space hazards or combat?"

"Combat. We have engaged a Romulan Warbird in battle twice. The same Warbird took out outpost Beta-Gamma. We crippled them, but they are still out there somewhere."

The runabout lieutenant gave a nervous gulp and tugged on his collar. "Well, what can I do to help, if anything?"

"Do you have a long-range transmitter?"

"A basic one, yes. But Alpha-Theta has a major communications array."

"I have a data package that I need to send to Sector Command immediately. Can you relay it for us?"

"Of course, Captain."

"I recommend that you come about on our port side, while I prepare the package."

"Copy that. Coming about on your port and matching your velocity." For a moment the lieutenant could be seen focusing on his flying, but then he stared in wonder somewhere out his viewport. " _Orion_ , I am not going to lie to you. You don't look so good. There is significate damage to your starboard side."

"I know, _Rhine._ And I won't lie to you either. We are worse off than we look."

"Huh. Well, I guess we better get that transmission off as soon as possible. I'll set it up on my side. Contact me when you're ready."

The transmission was terminated, and Lindsey felt an excitement that was more than enough to keep her awake. "Navigator, what is the heading for the nearest starbase?"

Selina who was taking over for Lt. John Mikkelson while he recovered in sick bay answered, "30 degrees to port."

"Helm lay in that course, maximum safe impulse. Computer, assemble data package 'priority one,' and prepare to transmit."

"Data package assembled," said the computer voice.

"Add cover message, record on my mark."

Lindsey straighten her hair and uniform as much as she could, and Henry commented. "Did Captain Taylor also say to look good for allies as well?"

"No, but I am a Starfleet Captain. I should look the part as best I can, given the circumstances." Lindsey shook off the last of her weariness looked forward and said, "Begin recording." A beep from the computer followed and Lindsey began her message.

"This is Lieutenant Lindsey Lander, Acting Captain of the Federation starship USS _Orion_ NCC-26532. We have been attacked twice by a Romulan Warbird who has crossed the Neutral Zone in violation of the Treaty of Algeron. The same Romulan starship attacked and destroyed outpost Beta-Gamma, the survivors of which are on board the _Orion._

"Attached in this transmission is a data package. This package includes all the details of the attacks as well as the current status of the _Orion_.

"The _Orion_ 's status in brief is this. Captain Taylor and her senior command staff were killed in the first battle against the Romulan Warbird. We have suffered many other casualties, particularly in our security department. Our warp core was compromised, and we were forced to eject it. Our impulse engines are barely functioning, and our weapons are all but useless.

"Having delivered this message and reporting on the Romulan crimes, my only remaining priority is to get this crew to safety. But with the _Orion_ crippled as it is and a hostile Romulan Warbird still out there, I do not believe I can do so. Included in the package is our current location, heading, and velocity. I urgently request that the nearest starship be sent to rescue us immediately. Captain Lindsey Lander, out."

Lindsey gave a sigh of relief. "Computer, end recording. Add this recording as well as our current location, heading, and velocity to the data package. Encrypt the whole package with the Starfleet Command encryption. And prepare to transmit."

"Acknowledged," said the computer voice.

"Hail the _Rhine._ "

"Yes, Captain," said Henry who was taking over many bridge duties since they were shorthanded.

The image of the runabout's pilot came on screen. "Captain, I contacted Alpha-Theta, and they are ready to transmit."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. We are sending the package now. Please confirm." Lindsey nodded to Henry who sent the data package.

The runabout lieutenant was watching his counsel. "I have received your package. Transmitting now." After a moment he reported again. "Alpha-Theta has received your package and relayed it to Sector Command. They have received the automated response. It will take Command a couple minutes to figure out what to do."

"Understood, Lieutenant. Now I recommend that you return to Alpha-Theta. The Romulans may have figured out that we were coming to you. If you cannot defend yourselves I recommend that you evacuate the outpost."

"Understood, Captain."

"Lt. Wheaton, thank you. Your coming out here may have saved our lives."

"Your welcome, Captain. If I can return to you I will. _Rhine_ , out."

Lindsey watched as the runabout flew in front of them and then went to warp. Henry came up to her chair and said, "Congratulations, Captain. Mission accomplished."

"Not yet. I still need to get everyone home." Nonetheless Lindsey began to rethink things. Getting that message off changed the situation, and Lindsey began to change her plans.

* * *

 _Acting First Officer's log, stardate 57027.2: It has been a day and half since we transmitted the package to Starfleet, and so far we have seen neither a Starfleet nor Romulan vessel. The tension is high on the ship, but so is the hope. I have every confidence that the crew will continue to do well._

 _I do have a concern about the Captain, and her health however._

Lindsey was sitting the navigator's seat. She and Henry had been relieving Ens. Chaput at navigation since Lt. Mikkelson was in sick bay recovering from his wound from a Romulan disruptor. Ens. Ryan was next to her at the helm. Henry had been rotating with him for that role, but was currently resting. Everyone on the _Orion_ was weary and tired, but the bridge crew was particularly exhausted.

Just as Lindsey began thinking longingly about the bed in her quarters Henry climbed up the turbo lift on the makeshift ladder. "How did you meeting with Dr. Randle go?" asked the first officer as he entered the bridge.

Lindsey looked at him from the navigator's chair. "It went well."

"What did he have to say?"

"His sick bay is full of injuries, but he has stabilized everyone who was injured in the last attack. He might discharge Lt. Mikkelson and clear him for light duty later today. I plan on using him to relieve the bridge crew for four hours at a time, then letting him get his rest."

"What about your rest, Captain?" said Henry as he motioned his intention to take the navigator's chair.

"What do you mean?" replied Lindsey as she rose from the navigation station.

"You know exactly what I mean," said Henry in a strong tone that only a first officer could use with the Captain. "How long has it been since you slept?"

"I have dozed a few times right here in my captain's chair, as you know."

"I mean really slept. When's the last time you slept for multiple hours?"

"Before the Romulan attack."

"Exactly!" exclaimed Henry. "That was over fifty hours ago! You need to sleep."

"I'm fine. I have my coffee and my duties. I will sleep once a Federation ship arrives." Henry tried to object again, but Lindsey spoke over him. "I am not going to go off duty until we are rescued! End of discussion, Lieutenant."

Henry gave Lindsey a hard look. "Not end of discussion. If you do not get some sleep in the next four hours, I will talk to Dr. Randel. He has the authority to confine you to quarters."

Lindsey glared at Henry as he sat down in the navigator's chair. She tried her hardest to burn holes in the back of his head with her staring, but Henry ignored her and pretended to go about his duties. Finally, Lindsey let out an exhausted sigh. "I will retire to my ready room for an hour. Will that prevent you from reporting me to the doctor?"

"Four hours," negotiated Henry.

"Two hours, and no more. And I expect you to wake me. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Captain. Though I don't look forward to waking a cranky captain."

"Cranky?!"

"Having your first real sleep in fifty hours interrupted? Yeah, you're going to be cranky."

"Occupational hazard of being a first officer. Just like lack of sleep is for a captain."

"Ah, the miseries that command duty puts you through," said Henry. "I will be glad when it's over."

"Me too, Henry." Lindsey got up slowly from her chair and walked towards her ready room.

As she made her way across the bridge Lindsey heard a noise from the turbo lift. She looked over to the broken lift. Since the Romulans had stormed the bridge and destroyed the lift car, they had to make do with alternative ways of accessing the bridge. A few engineers cut a ladder out of a Jefferies tube, and welded it into the lift tube. It spanned the distance between deck 2 and the bridge. They then installed a safety net under it, just in case. Now Lindsey could hear someone climbing up the ladder. To her surprise it was Lt. Mikkelson.

Mikkelson made it up the ladder and climbed onto the bridge. He was followed by Ens. Selina Chaput. "Lt. Johnathan Mikkelson reporting for 'light duty'."

Lindsey smiled at him. "I don't know how you convinced Dr. Randel to allow it."

"I told the good doctor that a navigator doesn't use his leg much."

"In that case, I order you to take navigation. But remember, this is 'light duty.' Your shift is limited to four hours. My first officer is trying to convince me of the importance of rest. In your case I will make certain you get it."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Ens. Chaput, are you also reporting for duty?"

"No, Ma'am. I was just helping Lt. Mikkelson stay off his feet." Lindsey looked between the two junior officers. There was no real relationship between the two before, but now with a shared experience of combat a spark might be developing. Perhaps she would have to keep an eye on those two and makes sure any developing relationship did not affect their work. It was at that moment that Lindsey realized she was beginning to think like a commanding officer. She laughed at herself for a moment and then reminded herself that she was going to give up her command as soon as she returned the _Orion_ to safety.

"Alright, Ms. Chaput, but I don't want you to lose too much of your resting period playing nurse."

"A ship is dropping out of warp!" shouted Ryan, abruptly changing the tone on the bridge. Lindsey jumped to her captain's chair. Johnathan moved with surprising speed to the navigator's chair, Henry ran to the tactical station, and Selina was already at the operations consoles.

"It's right in front of us. Captain, it's the Warbird!" reported Selina.

"On screen." Sure enough, their enemy had found them. Lindsey was staring at a battle harden and still dangerous Romulan starship. "Red Alert. Full stop. Arm torpedoes."

"Captain!" addressed Henry. "The two fore torpedo tubes each have a single torpedo, and the ventral tube has two. That is only four torpedoes. We have no other weapons."

"We have one other weapon. I was really hoping not to use it, but…"

"Their hailing us," said Selina.

"On screen." The image of a strange Romulan office who was out of uniform took over the main viewport.

"Good to see you again, Lieutenant," said the Romulan.

"You are not Colonel Gaiath."

"Colonel Gaiath? He was never on board this ship. I am a rogue officer who commandeered a Warbird for his own purposes. I act outside of the Romulan chain of command. There is certainly no Colonel here."

"Of course, there isn't," replied Lindsey. "I see your denial of the truth begins the right now. Well, it's too late. I have already transmitted all the evidence of your treaty breaking attacks on both the _Orion_ and outpost Beta-Gamma to Starfleet Sector Command. It's over. Disengage and return to Romulan space immediately before things get worse."

"Things can't get worse, human." Then the Romulan disappeared from the viewscreen which reverted to the visual of the Warbird.

"They cut off the transmission," said Selina.

"Do you think they will leave?" asked Johnathan.

"Not at all," said Henry. "This is a suicide run for them. They will allow their ship to be destroyed and their lives ended in order to cover up their crimes."

"I would agree," said the helmsman Ryan, "if we had the power to destroy their ship. But with only four torpedoes…"

Lindsey wasn't listening to her crewmen. She was deep in her own thoughts. She had already prepared for this possibility, and she knew the call she had to make. But she had to exhaust all other options first.

"They are coming towards us with thrusters," said Selina. "They are also powering up weapons and shields. They will be in disruptor range soon."

"Captain, your orders?" asked Henry.

"Full reverse, thrusters only," answered Lindsey. Then she tapped her combadge. "Dr. Randel. Initiate protocol Lander 001."

"Captain, please confirm," replied the doctor's voice.

"Confirm: Lambda, Mu, Epsilon."

"Confirmed. Beginning evacuation of sick bay."

"Evacuation?!" Henry looked at her with alarm. "What is protocol Lander 001?"

"It is an evacuation of the _Orion,_ that Dr. Randel and I devised in our last meeting. He is evacuating all his patients and medical staff on our shuttle craft." Lindsey turned to Henry. "Lt. Hickensen, I order you to take command of the evacuation. You are to pilot one of the shuttle crafts. Your charge is all the shuttles and escape pods. I am putting the crew in your capable hands."

"Lindsey, no! This isn't the way."

"My only goal is to protect my crew, and I can't do that if they are on the _Orion_!"

"They are safer on the _Orion_!"

"They are not safe anywhere if that Warbird is out there. So, I intend on destroying it. And I am going to use the _Orion_ to do it."

Suddenly Henry's eyes grew as he figured out what Lindsey was going to do. "Lindsey, I…" but he had no words.

"This isn't a debate, Lieutenant! This is an order. Go to the shuttle bay now!" Then with a pleading look she begged him. "Please, Henry. I need you to take care of them."

Henry looked at her with pain in his eyes. "Yes, Captain." He turned and began to climb down the ladder, but before he left he said, "Goodbye, Lindsey."

"Goodbye, Henry." And then he was gone.

Lindsey sat in her chair and initiated a ship wide broadcast. "Attention all crew and passengers. Our enemy has returned, and we cannot fight them anymore. I now order all hands not previously instructed to go to shuttles to find the nearest escape pod and proceed to the preset coordinates. All hands, abandon ship; repeat, all hands, abandon ship."

Lindsey then turned to the bridge crew. "That means you too."

But Ens. Luke Ryan stood up. "Captain, requesting permission to stay abroad. You're going to need a helmsman, if you are going to do what I think you are doing."

Lindsey looked upon her friend and companion. "Permission granted, Ensign."

Selina also spoke from her station. "Captain, I too request permission to stay aboard."

"As do I, Captain," added Johnathan.

"Permission denied. I need the two of you to oversee the evacuation. Once everyone is off the ship then you two get in the pods and go. Understood!"

"Yes, Ma'am," said Johnathan somberly, but Selina only stood there with tears in her eyes. Then Johnathan lead her out of the bridge.

"Captain, what are your orders?" asked Ryan once it was just them.

"Continue reverse, but prepare to go full forward, thrusters and impulse."

* * *

Henry found the shuttle bay a mess as doctors and nurses were loading patients on the shuttles. Henry entered the cockpit of one shuttle, and prepared it for launch. He found that the other pilots were doing the same. Soon they were ready to go.

Then Dr. Randel entered the cockpit. "We're all set. Be a gentle as possible."

"Why didn't you tell me about the Captain's plan, Doc?"

"I thought you knew."

"Well, I didn't!" shouted Henry angrily as he launched out of the shuttle bay. But his anger was replaced with a somber seriousness when he saw dozens of escape pods launching and flying away from the _Orion_.

"I'm sorry," said Dr. Randel. "I guess she didn't want you to worry, or…"

"…to try and stop her," finished Henry. "The awful thing is that she was right to do so. I don't think I could have made this call. I guess that's why she's the Captain." Then Henry's gut dropped, but it had nothing to do with the shuttle. It had everything to do with losing a friend.

* * *

Selina found the evacuation to be surreal. She directed people to the escape pods and even helped some people enter the pods themselves. But she herself was in a daze. It was like a bad nightmare she couldn't change or couldn't wake up from.

On deck 5 she and Johnathan ran into Lt. Ulysses Grant, the acting head of security. "My officers have evacuated decks 6 through 10."

"Decks 2-4 are evacuated," said Johnathan. "What about the decks below the saucer?"

Grant held up his hand and tapped his combadge. "Lt. Matthews, status?"

"All lower decks evacuated except my team," replied Chef's voice.

"Copy that. Complete the evacuation and get off this ship."

"That goes for you too, Lieutenant," said Johnathan. "Selina and I will finish deck 5. We are under Captain's orders to be the last ones off the ship."

"Understood," said the security man. "Good luck."

Johnathan despite his injury was leading Selina. They finished the evacuation, and then called to the bridge. "Captain, evacuation complete. Ens. Chaput and I are heading to our pods now." All he received from the Captain was a confirmation beep. Then the _Orion_ suddenly lurched forward.

"What's happening?" asked Selina as Johnathan pulled her down a hall.

"The Captain is going to use her final weapon."

"What weapon?"

"The _Orion_ itself. It is a larger and more massive vessel. The collision with destroy the Warbird."

"But the Captain and Ryan!"

"Come we can't think of that," answered Johnathan. "Here we are. This is the only pod left on the deck, but we can both fit. Come on, get in."

Selina broke down in tears and sobs. But Johnathan held her in his arms. "It's alright. I'm here. Let's climb down together." Slowly he brought her down into the pod. As its door shut Selina held on to Johnathan and wept for her friends.

* * *

Lindsey received Johnathan's call. She didn't know what to say to him, so she just sent a simple acknowledgement beep. Then she gave her orders. "Full forward, impulse and thrusters. Set collision course, and adjust for any changes in the Romulan ship. Ram them with everything you've got."

"Yes, Captain," answered Ens. Ryan with a satisfaction only possible in a man who had already accepted his own death.

"Computer, transfer shields and weapons control to the captain's chair." She unlatched the hidden panel on the side of the chair and swung it in front of her. It would have been more practical for her to use the navigator's console, but Lindsey wanted to die in her captain's chair just as her hero and role model Captain Taylor had.

"Romulan Warbird, twenty kilometers and closing," reported Ryan.

The Romulan Warbird began to fire. It only seemed to have a few plasma torpedoes left, or else not enough tubes, but the disruptor arrays had been repaired. "We are taking hits, Captain."

"Let me worry about the weapons. You just focus on flying." Indeed, the forward shields were taking hits, but Lindsey compensated with energy from other systems. She even pulled from life support. They wouldn't need it much longer anyway. Lindsey also meticulously fired the four remaining torpedoes. "We are officially out of weapons."

"We still have that last weapon you referred to. Ten kilometers and closing." Then Ryan spoke deliberately. "Ms. Lander, it has been an honor to have you as my Captain."

"Mr. Ryan, I could not have asked for a better helmsman," replied Lindsey.

"Impact in twenty seconds," said Ryan.

Lindsey was just about to savor her last twenty seconds when a beeping came on her console. She looked at it and discovered it was a ship dropping out of warp.

"Impact in ten seconds, nine, eight, seven…"

Then with sudden mix of joy and horror, Lindsey realized what type of ship had just dropped out of warp.

"Abort! Abort! Hard to starboard!"

Ryan reacted instantly, and the _Orion_ lurched to the right. Lindsey almost fell out of her chair. But Ryan shouted, "Too late! Impact in three, two… brake for impact!"

The jolt was greater than anything Lindsey had ever felt in her life. She felt herself fly out of her chair, and the last thing she remembered was a sharp pain in her left leg followed by cracking noise in her head.

Then all was black.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 _Captain's log; stardate 57027.5: Responding to the_ Orion's _call for help, we dropped out of warp just in time to see the_ Orion _collide with a Romulan Warbird. Both ships survived the collision but with severe damage. After ignoring repeated hails from us the Warbird attempted again to fire upon the_ Orion _. I was forced to order the_ Enterprise _to destroy the Romulan ship. Only two photon torpedoes were required. Either those torpedoes were enough to destroy the crippled ship, or the Romulans breached their own core._

 _We found only one active crew member on board the_ Orion _, the helmsman. According to his report the ship had been evacuated and his captain was unconscious and in need of immediate medical attention. We found the rest of the crew in escape pods and shuttles. The_ Orion's _acting first officer helped us recover the crew, most of whom were taken on board the_ Enterprise _, but the first officer insisted on having an operational crew on board the_ Orion _. The chief medical officer also insisted on returning to his sick bay. His only patient is the_ Orion's _captain. He said it would be her wish to remain on her ship._

Lindsey's first feeling was a throbbing pain in her head. She opened her eyes and was immediately pained by the light. She tried to rise, but she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder holding her down.

"Easy, Captain. Take your time. You've been through a lot."

"Dr. Randel?" said Lindsey in a groggy voice, which made her wonder how long she had been out.

"Yes, it is I; Dr. Randel, your Chief Medical Officer."

"Where am I?"

"Sick bay."

"On the _Orion_?"

"Correct, Captain. You were found unconscious on the bridge. I have been treating you here for the last three days."

"Three days!" Lindsey attempted to sit up again. This time the pain in her head forced her to lay back down. "Three days! What happened?"

"It appears that you were tossed from your chair," said the doctor. "You had several fractures, the most serious of which were your left fibula and your skull. The fractures were the easy past. It was the resulting major concussion was the greater issue. It required some minor neural surgery, for which I had the help of the lovely Dr. Crusher from the _Enterprise_. After that we put you in an induced coma to facilitate your healing." The doctor helped Lindsey to sit up. "You are, of course, still healing, but it was my opinion that you could be brought out of coma. We have been giving you nutritional assistance, but I think it's time you had some real food. Chef prepared this soup for you."

Lindsey began to sip the soup that Dr. Randel handed her. As were all things prepared by Chef, it was excellent; and the hot liquid began to rejuvenate her. As she continued to eat, Lindsey remembered her last conscience moments. "The Federation ship I saw dropping out of warp, was that the _Enterprise_?"

"I can answer that," said a voice. Lindsey pivoted on the bed to see Henry leaning against the wall. "Yes, it was the _Enterprise_ , fresh off her repair and refit. I didn't think you saw it."

"Why do you think I tried to abort the maneuver? I saw them at the last minute, but it was too late."

"Maneuver? Call it was it was, Captain. You were going to ram the Warbird."

"I did ram the Warbird. And I have a concussion to prove it." Lindsey attempted to stand up but her head began to spin and ache. "Doctor, can't you give me something for the dizziness?"

"I can, but I have learned to allow senior officers to feel their pain a bit. Sometimes they need to be reminded that they are mortal." Dr. Randel used a hypospray to administer the drug.

Lindsey remained sitting as she let the medicine take effect. "Lieutenant, give me the short version. How is the _Orion_? Where is the Warbird? Is the _Enterprise_ able to help us?"

"The _Enterprise_ finished off the Warbird. We have nothing to fear from them anymore. The _Orion_ is severely damaged. Its weapons are completely offline, but the _Enterprise_ has promised to protect us. The collision has compromised the structure of the _Orion_ itself. But repairs began immediately. The _Enterprise_ has been a big help there. They have lent us many engineers and workers, as well as a command crew to relieve our officers. We hope to have the structure secure enough for warp travel soon. Our plans, pending your approval, is for the _Enterprise_ to tow us to a space dock for more substantial repairs."

"What about the crew? Were there any casualties?"

"Just you and Ens. Ryan. Ryan was batter and bruised, but Dr. Randel treated and released him right away."

"This seems like as of good time as any for me to give my doctor's orders," said Dr. Randel, jumping into the conversation.

"Don't you dare confine me to my quarters or sick bay," said Lindsey with a menace in her voice.

"That would be the most reasonable thing to do. However, I have already taken into account your wishes. I am approving you for light duty only. Six hours a day; no more. And those six hours are to be spent only on the bridge or in your ready room; not running around the ship. That is why you have a first officer." The doctor pointed to Henry with his thumb. "And if I hear that you are not attending to my orders, I will confine you to your quarters. Is that clear, Captain?"

"Just because you can issue orders to the Captain, doesn't mean you should let that power go to your head, Doctor."

"I am just doing my duty as Chief Medical Officer, while trying to cut you as much slack as I can."

"I know. Thank you, Doctor. I will follow my orders." Lindsey then looked at Henry. "Speaking of duty, why are you not on the bridge, Lt. Hickensen? My orders were clear. One of us was to be on the bridge at all times."

"That was back when we were being hunted by the Romulans."

"My order still stands. We still need a senior officer on the bridge. I do not want to hand over command of my ship to some junior officer from the _Enterprise_."

"Don't worry. I left the bridge in the hands of an extremely competent officer."

"I'll be the judge of that. Take me to the bridge." Lindsey slid off the bed and on to her feet. As she did so she still felt dizzy. She at first refused Henry's arm, but when walking was difficult she accepted his help.

They took a turbo lift to deck 2 and then walked down the corridors until they were below the bridge. The lift door was open and the welded ladder was still there. "You haven't fixed the turbo lift yet?"

"Low priority," said Henry as he started up the ladder. "Take it easy, now. Nice and slow." Lindsey climbed up the ladder one rung at a time. As she neared the top Henry held out his hand and helped her up on to the bridge. As her feet hit the floor of the bridge Henry announced, "Captain on the bridge," and all the officers turned toward her. The bridge was full of officers, most of whom were from the _Enterprise_ , but Ens. Selina Chaput could be seen at the operations station, and Lt. Johnathan Mikkelson was at navigation.

But it was the man standing next to the captain's chair that caught Lindsey's eye. He was a human male. The top of his head was bald, and the hair that did grow around the side of his head was a very light, almost invisible white. He worn the red uniform of a command officer. He turned around very deliberately and faced Lindsey. She didn't need to see the four-pip insignia of a Starfleet captain to know who the man in front of her was.

"Captain Picard!" Lindsey stood at attention before the superior officer.

"Captain, do not salute me. I am on board your ship, remember?" Then he stood at attention along with the whole bridge crew. "Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the USS _Enterprise_ at your service, Captain Lander."

When Lindsey realized that he was going to remain at attention until she acknowledged him she said sheepishly, "As you were." Then she slowly walked down to the famous captain of the _Enterprise_ , trying not to look star struck. "Thank you, Captain Picard. Your timely arrival has saved our lives."

"My timing arrival saved your life and the life of your helmsman," said Picard. "But it was you who saved the lives of your crew. A curious choice of maneuver, though. Take it from me, using a starship as a battering ram is not recommended by Starfleet."

"I guess the maneuver was fresh in my memory. I seem to recall someone using recently." Lindsey was rewarded to see a slight smile on Picard's face as she referred to Picard's own encounter with a Romulan starship. "Without weapons, I needed some way to neutralize the Warbird. The _Orion_ was the bigger starship and would inflict more damage than it would take."

"I think you did the right thing, Captain. Just be ready for some questioning. Starfleet doesn't appreciate when we bring back our ships banged up." Picard looked down briefly before looking back at Lindsey, as he spoke with a slightly quieter voice. "For myself, I can't help but think if I would have only pushed our warp core a little harder, we could have avoided a lot of this damage."

"I suppose so," said Lindsey. "But you arrived in time nonetheless. The _Orion_ is damaged, but it's crew is alive. I don't think it will do us much good to continue second guessing ourselves," said Lindsey.

"True. But that doesn't necessarily stop us, does it? It's easy to leave the tough decisions to our captains, but when you're in the captain's chair there is no one else to second guest but yourself." As Lindsey nodded her agreement, she noted that Picard seemed to be going out of his way to approve of her role as captain.

Picard looked around the bridge. "One suggestion if I may, Captain. For your next command, consider installing safety restraints on the bridge. I have found them quite useful on the _Enterprise_. And they may save you a bump on the head in the future."

"They might also save me from a three day nap in sick bay." Lindsey did not fail to notice Picard mentioning the possibility of Lindsey having a command of her own, but she pushed that thought aside for the moment. "Captain Picard, I greatly appreciate the help you and the _Enterprise_ are giving us in our repairs. But I must say that I am surprised to see that you have come personally to the _Orion_."

"Despite objections from my former first officer, I am very hands on captain. My current first officer is quite competent, and I am letting him get comfortable commanding the _Enterprise's_ bridge."

Lindsey switched to a more formal tone. "Captain Picard, I wish to thank you for your personal attention to the matter. It means a lot to the crew of the _Orion._ And I also thank the entire crew of the _Enterprise_ immensely for coming to our rescue. Especially Dr. Crusher, who I understand attended to my injuries. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I could use your help in bringing me back up to speed as well as planning the coming days. Will you join me and my first officer in my ready room?"

"Of course, Captain."

"Lt. Mikkelson, you have the bridge," said Lindsey. Then she, Henry, and Captain Picard went into the captain's ready room. There they discussed the past three days as well as the weeks to come. It was the first of many meetings as she called in all her senior officers and department heads.

After six long hours of meetings. Lindsey retired to her quarters. There she was able to relax, let go of all worry, and get her first real sleep she in weeks.

* * *

 _Acting Captain's log, final entry, stardate 57037.6: It took us nine days after the_ Enterprise's _arrival before we were able to repair the structure of the_ Orion _sufficiently for warp travel. The_ Enterprise _has taken us into its warp field and is towing us to the Mars ship yard, Utopia Planitia. There the_ Orion _will enter dry dock and be evaluated either for repair and refit or for decommissioning. Either way I will be giving up my command as soon as the_ Orion _has docked._

 _On a personal note, I cannot express in words how much I am ready to return to being a simple lieutenant and to set the burden of command on someone else's shoulders. However, the closer we get to Mars the more I feel like I am going to miss the responsibility of being a captain. Perhaps someday._

 _Conclude Acting Captain's log._

"Computer, seal Acting Captain's log in the _Orion's_ database," said Lindsey as she rose from her ready room and walked on to the bridge and to her captain's chair. "Helm, status?"

Ens. Luke Ryan answered, "We have dropped out of warp. The _Enterprise_ is now towing us to the dock."

"Propulsion status."

"We still have only our portside impulse engine, but our thrusters are working fine."

"Is that in your opinion enough to get us to space dock?"

"Yes, Captain, it is." Ryan smiled.

Lindsey matched his smile. "Ms. Chaput, open a channel to the _Enterprise_."

"Yes, Ma'am." Selina tapped a few buttons and then Captain Picard's face came on screen.

"I had a feeling that we would be receiving a call from you, Captain," answered the other ship's captain with a slight smirk on his face. "Do you have a request?"

"Captain Picard, I again thank you and the _Enterprise_ for towing us here. But the _Orion_ desires to come into space dock under her own power. She is limping, but she still has her pride."

"Of course. We will disengage our tractor beam. Bring her home, Captain."

"Thank you, Captain."

Ryan turned towards Lindsey. "The _Enterprise_ has released her tractor beam."

"Power to impulse and thrusters. Bring us in, Ensign, steady as she goes." The _Orion_ came slowly towards the dock. As they neared it Lindsey gave more orders. "Cut out the impulse, thrusters only."

"Yes, Captain, thrusters only."

Soon the _Orion_ entered the between the large shell of the space dock. "Gently, let us coast in. Use thrusters to slow us down." Ryan acknowledged. Lindsey then heard the sound of the docking clamps sliding on the _Orion's_ hull. Then with a jolt the clamps fell into place, and the _Orion_ stopped. "Power down thrusters."

"Captain," spoke Ens. Chaput. "The docking commander is requesting permission to come aboard."

"Permission granted. Have him brought to the bridge." Lindsey continued with the shutdown procedures and put the _Orion_ in space dock mode. A sound was heard near the rear of the bridge, but Lt. Hickensen went to attend to it. Soon the first officer was helping a Starfleet officer in a yellow engineering uniform up the ladder and on to the bridge.

"Captain Lander, Commander Stephen Bennett reporting for duty on the _Orion._ "

"Commander, are you the officer that will take command of the _Orion's_ evaluation?"

"Yes, Captain, I am."

"Ens. Chaput, are we in space dock mode?"

"Yes, Captain, the _Orion_ is secure in space dock mode."

"Thank you, Ensign." Lindsey turned to the new officer, "Stand by, Commander." She then began a ship wide broadcast.

"This is Captain Lindsey Lander to all crewmen of the USS _Orion_ , we have completed our mission and brought this ship and its crew safely home. I want to commend each and every one of you for your heroic service in a difficult situation. I also wish to remember those who gave their lives for this ship, its crew, and the Federation."

After a brief moment of silence, Lindsey continued. "Everyone is to help your new superior, Commander Bennett, in the transition as his crew relieves us. It has been my great pleasure to serve with each of you as crewmate and as captain. Captain Lander, out."

Lindsey then spoke, "Computer, transfer command codes to Commander Stephen Bennett. Authorization: Acting Captain Lindsey Lander: Gamma, Gamma, Delta 995."

"Secondary authorization: Acting First Officer Henry Hickensen: Sigma, Alpha, Epsilon 266," added Henry.

"Confirmed: command codes transferred to Commander Stephen Bennett," stated the computer's voice.

"The command of the _Orion_ is yours, Commander," said Lindsey.

Commander Bennett turned towards Lindsey. "Thank you, Captain."

"It's Lieutenant," corrected Lindsey. "Lieutenant Lindsey Lander, at your service, Commander."

* * *

There was a tone at the door of the Admiral's office. "Come in."

A blond woman with a blue science officer's uniform and a fourth year cadet's rank walked in. This woman had a strange metallic implant above her left eye as well as similar implants on her left arm. She had a somewhat robotic nature to her moments.

"Admiral, your guest has arrived."

"Good, have her come in," replied the female admiral.

"Admiral?"

"Yes, Seven."

"I am puzzled by your decision. It seems tactically…unsound."

"How so, Cadet."

"There are many more qualified individuals for this assign. Her experience is limited. I also looked up her Academy records and found them lacking. It seems to me that you choose this individual for sentimental reasons."

"Not everyone can skip a year and a half at Starfleet Academy and still maintain high marks," spoke the Admiral with a smile. "It is true, Seven, that there are many officers in Starfleet that have more experience than this individual, but no one has her particular qualifications. There is some sentiment here, but above all this is a tactical decision; just not the tactics that you are imagining."

"I don't understand, Admiral."

"Stay and observe if you would like, Seven."

"Gladly," replied the female cadet. The woman then left the room. A minute later she reappeared with another human female. "Admiral Janeway, may I present, Lieutenant Commander Lindsey Lander."

The new woman stood at attention. "Admiral Janeway."

"At ease, Commander. Take a seat." Janeway indicated a chair as she herself sat down. "Coffee?"

"Thank you," replied Ms. Lander as she sat down and took the cup that Janeway had offered. As the young woman took a sip of the coffee, Janeway saw the slightest flinch. Janeway had a tendency for making the coffee too strong, but Lander continued to drink it anyway.

Janeway continued, "Congratulations on your promotion. That third pip on your collar was overdue, Commander." Lander gave her a puzzled look at the word 'overdue,' but Adm. Janeway continued. "Did you use your leave time well?"

Lt. Cdr. Lander nodded her head. "Yes, Admiral. I took time to visit my family, and Lt. Cdr. Hickensen and I also did some hiking in Utah. We needed to get away."

"That is understandable," answered Janeway. Lt. Cdr. Lander looked over her shoulder at the female cadet who sat in a chair behind her. "Oh, forgive me for not introducing my assistant. This is Cadet Annika, Seven of Nine, Hansen."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," said the cadet.

"The pleasure is mine," answered Lander, who took a brief look at implants that remained in Seven's left arm after her severing from the Borg Collective. However, Lander returned her gaze to the Admiral.

"Before we begin, Admiral, I was wondering if you could update me on the _Orion's_ status."

Janeway smiled. "It's not easy to let go of your first command. There are still times when I wish that I was on _Voyager_. The _Orion_ has undergone a full inspection. But it has been determined that she is not fit for repair, and she will be decommissioned." Lander's head dropped a bit. "I am sorry, Commander. New ships like the _Enterprise-E_ get repaired, but the _Orion_ is…"

"…an old bird," finished Lander. "I suspected this might happen. That is why I insisted on bring the _Orion_ back to Mars rather than being towed to a junk yard. I wanted her to come into port one last time." Janeway could see Seven of Nine's eyes roll. Such 'inefficiencies' still bothered the former Borg.

"The good news is that many of the components of the _Orion's_ recent refit were still intact. They will be removed and put to use in a new _Galaxy_ class starship nearing completion at Utopia Planitia."

"Good," said the _Orion's_ former captain. "Thank you for indulging my curiosity, Admiral. Please continue. I do not wish to delay any further."

"There is no delay. I fully intended to discuss the _Orion_. What did you think this meeting was about?"

"I figured it was another debriefing."

"Heavens no. I think your performance commanding the _Orion_ has been examined, critiqued, and scrutinized enough. This meeting is about your next assignment."

Lander sat straighter in her chair and became very attentive. "What assignment would that be?"

"Remember I told you about a new _Galaxy_ class ship?" Lander nodded with interest. "Since it will be receiving many of its components from the _Orion_ I have convinced Starfleet to designate it the USS _Orion_ NCC-26532-A."

"You named after the _Orion_?"

"It only makes sense. It is a message to the Romulans and to the whole quadrant. Starfleet does not run with its tail between its legs. If we lose a ship, we only come back with another. That is why we kept the name: _Orion._ It is also the reason why we want you to captain this new ship."

"What?!" Coffee spilt out of Ms. Lander's cup and on to her lap as she jolted with surprise.

"You heard me, Commander," said Admiral Janeway who was slightly enjoying the surprise on the Lander's face. "We want you to be the captain of the _Orion-A._ "

The young woman looked dumb founded. "But I…I am not nearly experienced enough, and…" she stammered.

Adm. Janeway saw Seven on Nine give her an 'I told you so' raise of her brow, but she ignored it. "You have served on board a Starfleet vessel for nearly five years. And you have proven that you can handle command of a starship in emergency situations. That is usually the greatest concern Starfleet has when it promotes a captain."

"Admiral, with all due respect to you and Starfleet Command, just a month ago I was a mere lieutenant senior grade. To become a captain is a three rank jump. That is almost unheard of."

"Cadet, would you hand me that tablet?" Seven of Nine handed Janeway her data tablet, and the Admiral began to read.

"Lieutenant Lindsey Lander is one of the best officers on board the _Orion_. She came on board as a young, undisciplined Academy graduate, but has grown into a fine officer. She takes any responsibility given to her very seriously. If she has any fault it is that she does not know her own abilities, and hesitates when presented with greater responsibility. But I believe that she will soon learn as she takes on greater roles.

"I recommend Lieutenant Lander for promotion to Lieutenant Commander immediately upon the completion of the _Orion's_ current tour, if not sooner. I also recommend that she be given a senior command assignment not excluding the role of first officer of the _Orion_ if its next captain will have her."

Lander sat and listened as Janeway finished. "What was that?"

"That was Captain Taylor's exit evaluations and recommendations."

"Exit?"

"Captain Taylor was about to receive what we like to call a 'retirement promotion.' After the _Orion's_ current tour, she was going to trade in her captain's chair for an admiral's desk. She accepted a position here at Starfleet Command in San Francisco as well as an adjunct teaching position at Starfleet Academy. We were all looking forward to having a veteran captain such as her here with us. I am working on getting her promotion to be granted posthumously."

Janeway looked intently at Lander. "Captain Taylor saw you as her student, her apprentice even. She wanted to lead you into becoming that command officer that she saw in you. And you should know that although Captain Taylor was not the most famous captain in Starfleet, she was one of the most respected by Starfleet Command. They had already approved most of her recommendations including your promotion. Practically speaking you were already a Lieutenant Commander. It was just a matter of formality that remained. As you can see, this is not a three rank jump for you.

"In fact, you will not be promoted to the full rank of Captain just yet. While you will be in command of the _Orion-A,_ you will do so as a mere Commander. And you will have to endure a probationary period of sorts. You will report regularly to a senior captain. At the beginning that captain will be likely be Captain Picard, although the _Enterprise_ rarely stays in one place for too long. The _Orion_ , however, will remain near the Romulan Neutral Zone. So, you see, you are, in actuality, only jumping up one rank."

Lander stared away and out the window as if searching for another objection. "What will happen to me if I turn this position down?"

Admiral Janeway sighed. Captain Taylor was right; she was hesitating. "You would remain a Lieutenant Commander and likely be assigned as the first officer on a short-range research vessel, probably a _Nova_ class ship; an assignment where officers go to disappear, and their careers plateau."

"I joined Starfleet to serve the Federation. I am not interested in promoting my career for its own sake."

At this Admiral Janeway allowed herself to get a bit angry. "I am not appealing to your pride! Few officers get a chance to display their true worth in the way you did. Many good officers that could greatly benefit the Federation lie hidden on some small vessel doing minor work. I think you are one of them. And I do not want to see you become one of these lost treasures of Starfleet!"

Janeway gave herself a moment to calm down. "You have a duty to Starfleet to give all that you can, and you won't be able to do that if you turn down this position. It is a risk to assign someone as young as you to the position of captain, but remember there is the probationary period. If your senior captain does not think you are ready for command, then you will be reassigned to a lower post. But we need you to try."

The Admiral leaned forward on her desk and looked Lindsey Lander in the eyes. "You are being called upon to step forward. Will you take command of the _Orion_ once again?"

* * *

 _Begin Captain's log; stardate 57190.4: I, Commander Lindsey Lander, have taken command of the_ Galaxy _class starship the USS_ Orion _NCC-26532-A. Prior to today I have been supervising the_ Orion's _final completion. But today I am its captain, and I will be taking it out of dry dock for the first time._

 _I am surprised to discover a strange new feeling. I had thought that previously commanding the original_ Orion _would have prepared me for this, but I had always thought of it as Captain Taylor's ship or Captain Taylor's ready room or Captain Taylor's chair. But now it is my ready room, my chair, my ship. A new sense of responsibility and even excitement has come upon me. While initially reluctant to take this command, I now fine myself looking forward to new role and the adventures it will bring._

"Captain on the bridge," said Lieutenant Commander Henry Hickensen, the _Orion's_ first officer.

Captain Lindsey Lander walked down to her captain's chair and stood in front of it. "Are we set?"

The Helmsman, Lieutenant Luke Ryan, reported, "Thrusters, impulse engines, and warp drive are fully functional."

"Weapons and defense systems are on standby," reported Lieutenant Selina Chaput from the operations station.

"Is our course ready?"

"Yes, Captain. The heading for our rendezvous with the _Enterprise_ is ready to go," answered Lieutenant Johnathan Mikkelson.

Henry turned towards Lindsey, "Captain, the _Orion_ is ready and at your command."

"Thank you, Mr. Hickensen." Lindsey lowered herself in her chair. "Detach from space dock."

The _Orion_ shook a bit, and Selina reported, "Air locks are sealed, and all docking clamps have been released."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Helm, power up thrusters and get us clear of the dock. Then go to impulse and bring us to the edge of the shipyard."

"Yes, Captain," answered Ryan from the helm. The _Orion_ cleared the docking bay and proceeded effortlessly to the edge of the shipyard.

"Lay in the rendezvous course and proceed at warp 7." Lindsey received responses from both helm and navigation. She sat back in her chair as the _Orion_ completed its maneuver.

As soon as it was aligned along its heading, Lindsey raised her hand. Then she felt a shiver down her spine. But this time it wasn't an omen of dread or fear. It was a feeling of excitement. She was about to begin our own mission, her own voyage. And it would all begin with a simple word.

"Engage."

* * *

Next read the sequel.

 _Star Trek: Orion_

 _Intrigue_

Captain Lindsey Lander was just getting used to her new command, when a secret mission pulled her away from the _Orion_. But her new mission is not what it seems. Soon Lindsey will find herself in a battle between a Romulan terrorist and the amoral shadow of the Federation: Section 31. The stakes? War with the Romulan Star Empire.

Also featuring Jean-Luc Picard and Worf.


End file.
